---
title: Does heart rate change across your menstrual cycle if you have insomnia during menopause?
description: Yes. Women with insomnia in the menopausal transition have heart rates about 4 beats per minute higher than controls throughout both phases of the cycle.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-related-variation-in-autonomic-nervous-system-functioning-in-2017/
---

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- Does heart rate change across your menstrual cycle if you have insomnia during menopause?

Case-control study, 2017

# Does heart rate change across your menstrual cycle if you have insomnia during menopause?

Yes. Women with insomnia in the menopausal transition have heart rates about 4 beats per minute higher than controls throughout both phases of the cycle.

 Moderate study design

21 women with insomnia and 25 control women, average age 49 years, in the menopausal transition

## What they did

Measured heart rate and heart rhythm during sleep in 21 women with insomnia and 25 control women, recording data during both the follicular and luteal phases of their menstrual cycle.

## What they found

Heart rate was about 4 bpm higher in women with insomnia compared to controls in both follicular and luteal phases, including during undisturbed sleep. In all women, heart rate was higher during the luteal phase than the follicular phase.

## What it means for you

Women with sleep problems during menopause may have higher nighttime heart rates throughout the menstrual cycle, with the second half of the cycle showing even higher rates. This could affect heart health risk. The main limitation is the small sample size and focus on women already in the menopausal transition.

4 bpm

Higher heart rate in insomnia group vs controls

21

Women with insomnia

25

Control women

## About the study

Original title Menstrual cycle-related variation in autonomic nervous system functioning in women in the early menopausal transition with and without insomnia disorder Authors de Zambotti M, Trinder J, Colrain IM et al. Journal Psychoneuroendocrinology Year 2017 Study design Case-control study Participants 21 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.10.009](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.10.009)

## Topics

[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Perimenopause and menopause](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-perimenopause/)

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