Study, 1980
Does mood and sleep change during the menstrual cycle?
Overall, no clear pattern was found across the group as a whole. One woman showed mood dips during her cycle and changes in sleep stages, but the other three women showed no cyclic changes.
What they did
Four women were studied during 8 nights each at corresponding days of their menstrual cycle. Researchers measured their sleep patterns and mood.
What they found
As a group, the women showed no clear changes in sleep with the menstrual cycle. One woman showed a U-shaped pattern of negative mood during her cycle, along with more of a lighter sleep stage (stage 2) and less deep sleep at menstruation. The other three women showed no cyclic variations in mood or sleep.
What it means for you
The menstrual cycle may not affect sleep in consistent ways across women, though it might affect mood in some people. The main limitation is the very small sample size of only 4 women, and the different results for each person.
4
women studied
8
nights studied per woman
1
women with U-shaped mood pattern
About the study
- Original title
- Mood and Sleep. I. Effects of the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Cluydts R, Visser P
- Journal
- Waking and sleeping
- Year
- 1980
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- None - this was observational
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7281630/
Topics
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