--- title: Does your menstrual phase affect how well you remember things after sleep? description: Women remembered faces and names better than men before a nap. After the nap, women forgot more during their period week than during other times of their cycl url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-effect-of-sex-and-menstrual-phase-on-memory-formation-during-a-nap-2017/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does your menstrual phase affect how well you remember things after sleep? Survey study, 2017 # Does your menstrual phase affect how well you remember things after sleep? Women remembered faces and names better than men before a nap. After the nap, women forgot more during their period week than during other times of their cycle. Early or limited evidence 17 women (average age 20.75 years) and 18 men (average age 22.01 years) ## What they did 17 women were tested at two different times in their cycle (around their period and at other times, 2 weeks apart) and compared with 18 men. All participants learned to match faces with names, took a daytime nap, then were tested again. Brain waves were recorded during the nap. ## What they found Women had better memory before the nap than men, regardless of cycle phase. After the nap, women in their period week (5 days before to 6 days after period start) forgot more than women in other cycle phases. Men did not show this pattern. The brain wave patterns during sleep that linked to memory improvement were different for women depending on cycle phase. ## What it means for you Your menstrual cycle may affect how sleep helps you remember things, especially around your period. The main limitation is this was a small lab study with a specific memory task, so results may not apply to everyday memory. 17 women studied 18 men studied 2 weeks time between cycle phase tests ## About the study Original title The effect of sex and menstrual phase on memory formation during a nap Authors Sattari N, McDevitt EA, Panas D et al. Journal Neurobiology of learning and memory Year 2017 Study design Survey study What was tested None—observational study of memory during different cycle phases Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2017.09.007](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2017.09.007) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2025 What behavioral symptoms of premenstrual syndrome are most common? Survey study, 2017 Does painful menstruation affect adolescent girls' mood, emotions, sleep, and thinking? Survey study, 2022 How common is PMS in university students and what helps them cope with symptoms? Non-randomised trial, 1999 Does your menstrual cycle phase affect how alert and focused you stay during sleep deprivation? Systematic review, 2022 Do athletes' feelings and performance change across the menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2025 Do menstrual problems and poor sleep affect mood and thinking in teenage girls? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗