Survey study, 2025
Do menstrual cycle phase and symptoms affect sleep in female footballers?
Menstrual cycle phase alone did not affect sleep. But more menstrual symptoms were linked to later bedtimes, longer total sleep, and more time awake.
What they did
23 professional footballers not using hormonal contraception wore actigraphy devices to measure sleep over up to four menstrual cycles during a league season. Menstrual phase was determined by calendar and urine tests. Each match evening, women rated 18 menstrual symptoms. Sleep quality was rated each morning. Objective sleep was measured before, during, and after matches.
What they found
Bedtime was significantly later on match nights. More menstrual symptoms were linked to later wake times and longer total sleep time. More severe lower back pain was linked to later wake times. More severe mood changes and anxiety were linked to longer total sleep. Menstrual cycle phase was not linked to any sleep measures.
What it means for you
Menstrual cycle phase alone does not explain sleep changes in female athletes, but menstrual symptoms do affect sleep, particularly around match times. The study only looked at professional footballers in one sport, so results may not apply to other athletes or non-athletes.
23
professional footballers
4
menstrual cycles monitored
18
symptoms tracked
About the study
- Original title
- Influence of Menstrual Phase and Symptoms on Sleep Before and After Matches for Professional Footballers
- Authors
- Brown GA, Fullagar HHK, Duffield R
- Journal
- Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/sms.70011
Topics
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