Study, 2024
How does menstrual cycle phase affect sleep and recovery after exercise?
Sleep quality was worse during the luteal phase (the second half of the cycle) than during earlier phases, with women waking up more and sleeping less deeply. Recovery feelings and muscle soreness were not affected by cycle phase.
What they did
15 endurance-trained women did high-intensity and low-intensity exercise sessions during three different cycle phases. Sleep was measured with a device after each session. Women reported how recovered they felt 24 hours later.
What they found
During the luteal phase, women woke up for 33 minutes on average during the night, compared to 22 minutes in the early follicular phase and 14 minutes during ovulation. Sleep efficiency was 87% in the luteal phase versus 90% during ovulation. Light sleep made up 59% of sleep in the luteal phase versus 54% in the early follicular phase. High-intensity exercise caused more muscle soreness and lower recovery feelings than low-intensity exercise, but this was true across all cycle phases.
What it means for you
If you exercise regularly, expect slightly worse sleep during the luteal phase, but your recovery sensations should be consistent throughout your cycle. This study was small and included only endurance athletes, so results may not apply to all women or less-active women.
33 min
Nighttime awakenings during luteal phase
14 min
Nighttime awakenings during ovulatory phase
87%
Sleep efficiency in luteal phase
About the study
- Original title
- Influence of Menstrual-Cycle Phase on Sleep and Recovery Following High- and Low-Intensity Training in Eumenorrheic Endurance-Trained Women: The Female Endurance Athlete Project
- Authors
- Taylor MY, Hrozanova M, Nordengen L et al.
- Journal
- International journal of sports physiology and performance
- Year
- 2024
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- High-intensity and low-intensity training sessions during different menstrual cycle phases
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2024-0201
Topics
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