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Cohort study, 2025

Does how consistently you sleep during your cycle affect your metabolism?

Overall sleep variability was linked to lower insulin resistance. However, very short or very long sleep nights were linked to higher leptin and insulin levels.

Moderate study design 259 premenopausal women in New York, 2005-2007

What they did

259 premenopausal women tracked daily sleep for 2 menstrual cycles. Blood tests for leptin, insulin, and glucose were done at 16 points timed to cycle phases.

What they found

Sleep duration from 1 or 2 nights before blood tests was not linked to metabolic markers. But overall sleep variability was associated with lower insulin resistance. Extremely short or long sleep bouts were associated with higher leptin, insulin, and insulin resistance.

What it means for you

How consistently you sleep during your cycle may affect insulin and energy storage. The study only tracked 2 cycles, so it is unclear if results apply long-term.

259

women

2

menstrual cycles tracked

16

biomarker assessment points

About the study

Original title
Patterns of Sleep Duration and Metabolic Biomarkers Across the Menstrual Cycle
Authors
Dunietz GL, Shedden K, Lyu X et al.
Journal
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism
Year
2025
Study design
Cohort study
Participants
259
What was tested
None
Open access
Yes

Topics