---
title: Sleep and insomnia: 356 studies, explained | Niyora
description: 356 studies on sleep and insomnia and PMS or PMDD, each summarised in plain English: what was tested, who took part, what they found and what it means.
url: https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/
---

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- Sleep and insomnia

# Sleep and insomnia: what the research says

356 studies on sleep and insomnia in PMS and PMDD, each explained in plain English. 11 of them use the strongest designs: randomised trials and systematic reviews.

Survey study 172

Study 40

Cohort study 37

Randomised trial 37

Case-control study 20

Review 18

Cohort study, 2026

Do sleep, exercise, and diet quality affect period pain, heavy bleeding, and PMS in midlife?

Women with poor sleep regularity and low moderate-to-vigorous activity had more painful and heavy periods and more PMS. Diet quality showed only a small effect. These are associations, not proof of cause and effect.

Cohort study, 2026

Does sleeping longer improve mood and fitness in elite athletes?

Yes. Sleeping longer was linked to better mood and fitness across all athletes, regardless of menstrual cycle status. Sleeping less than 8 hours was linked to below-average mood and fitness.

Randomised trial, 2026

Does a warm footbath help PMS symptoms and sleep quality?

A nightly warm footbath during the premenstrual phase reduced PMS symptoms and improved quality of life in women with PMS. It did not improve sleep quality.

Randomised trial, 2025

Does exercise reduce menstrual symptoms and sleep problems?

Yes. Women who exercised for 12 weeks had significantly fewer menstrual symptoms and better sleep than those who did not exercise.

Cohort study, 2024

Does psychological distress in adolescence predict menstrual symptoms in adulthood?

Yes. Women who had higher psychological distress at age 16 were significantly more likely to experience various menstrual symptoms at ages 16, 30, and 42. This is based on a large, long-term study.

Review, 2024

What do brain wave patterns show about PMS and PMDD?

Preliminary evidence suggests women with these conditions may have different brain wave patterns, but we need more research to be sure.

Cohort study, 2024

Is there a link between sleep and menstrual problems in teenage girls?

Yes. Girls who sleep less and have more sleep problems report worse menstrual pain, irregular periods, and more premenstrual symptoms.

Systematic review, 2022

Do athletes' feelings and performance change across the menstrual cycle?

Some feelings change across the cycle, especially motivation and mood. However, the research methods vary a lot, so we cannot be very confident about most findings.

Study, 2021

How much does the menstrual cycle affect mood and body signs compared to daily, weekly, and seasonal changes?

The menstrual cycle causes the biggest changes in mood and body measurements compared to daily, weekly, or seasonal changes. Mood, vital signs, and sexual behavior vary most; sleep and exercise stay fairly steady.

Randomised trial, 2010

Does Vitex agnus castus (chasteberry) reduce PMS symptoms in Chinese women?

Yes, Vitex extract significantly improved all 17 PMS symptoms compared to placebo over 3 menstrual cycles, especially mood and sleep problems.

Cohort study, 2004

Do women with PMS have worse menopausal symptoms?

Yes, women with PMS are significantly more likely to experience hot flushes, depression, poor sleep, and low libido during menopause. This large five-year study provides strong evidence for this connection.

Survey study, 2026

How does sleep change across the menstrual cycle in women with psychiatric conditions and suicidal thinking?

Sleep varies across the menstrual cycle in women with psychiatric conditions. These patterns align with changes in mood and suicidal thinking, with some women having worse sleep around their period or in the luteal phase. This suggests sleep monitoring may help identify higher-risk periods.

Survey study, 2026

Does light exposure, exercise, and meal timing affect PMS severity?

Yes, for some women. Morning-type women with more evening screen time had worse mood symptoms. Evening-type women with less daytime light had worse mood and water retention. Meal timing did not significantly affect PMS.

Survey study, 2026

What dietary, lifestyle, and psychological factors are associated with PMS in young women?

Stress and sleep problems were independently associated with PMS. Diet and weight were not independently associated with PMS after accounting for other factors. This is a cross-sectional study, so these are associations, not proof of cause and effect.

Survey study, 2026

Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health?

Yes. College women who do moderate to vigorous exercise have less severe period problems, lower stress, fewer depression symptoms, and better sleep quality.

Study, 2026

Does rimegepant help prevent migraines that happen around your period?

Yes, in this study rimegepant worked well. Women who took it around their period had fewer, shorter, and less severe migraines, and their quality of life improved. However, this was a small study without a comparison group.

Survey study, 2026

Does fear of childbirth explain why women with PMS are more likely to develop postpartum depression?

Yes, partially. Fear of childbirth accounts for 31.03% of the effect of PMS on postpartum depression in first-time mothers, and 43.62% in experienced mothers. This suggests PMS creates ongoing emotional vulnerability through pregnancy and after birth.

Survey study, 2026

Do nursing students with PMS experience excessive daytime sleepiness?

Yes, most experienced mild sleepiness (55.1%) and sleepiness increased with PMS severity. However, only 2 students had severe PMS, so we cannot be confident about that group.

Survey study, 2026

What lifestyle and work factors are linked to PMDD symptoms in Chinese nurses?

42.4% of Chinese nurses have PMDD symptoms. Risk is higher in those who work night shifts, do not exercise, drink alcohol, are overweight in a certain range, or have depression, anxiety, or poor sleep.

Randomised trial, 2026

Do specially optimized meals based on dietary guidelines help premenstrual disorder symptoms?

Yes. Women eating these optimized meals had lower symptom scores both before and during menstruation compared to those eating their usual diet, and lower overall symptom scores.

Survey study, 2026

What factors most strongly drive PMS severity in female engineering students?

Stress, poor sleep quality, and academic burnout are the strongest drivers of PMS, together explaining 74% of symptom severity. Exercise and diet also matter but are less influential.

Survey study, 2026

What factors are linked with period pain in teenage girls in Ethiopia?

Period pain affects about 7 in 10 teenage girls in this Ethiopian town. It is significantly linked with family history of period pain, having premenstrual syndrome, sleeping 6 hours or less per night, heavy menstrual periods, skipping breakfast, and female genital mutilation.

Cohort study, 2026

What life and psychological factors are linked to PMS and PMDD?

Both are linked to smoking, childhood trauma, poor mental health, and poor work-life balance. PMDD is also linked to being married with children. PMS is linked to alcohol use.

Cohort study, 2026

Does sleep change during different phases of the menstrual cycle?

Yes, women's sleep is disrupted during menstruation and the pre-menstrual phase of their cycle, though they often don't notice it happening.

Review, 2026

How do hormone changes affect sleep in women?

Hormonal changes during your menstrual cycle, including PMS and PMDD, cause sleep problems that appear at different times in your cycle. It's hard for doctors to diagnose what's really causing the problem because these symptoms overlap with other sleep disorders.

Randomised trial, 2026

Do pelvic floor exercises combined with Pilates help PMS symptoms?

Both Pilates alone and Pilates plus pelvic floor exercises significantly improved PMS, pain, sleep quality, and overall quality of life. The combination group showed larger improvements, though the difference was not statistically significant, and the study included only 30 women.

Survey study, 2026

How do pain, sleep quality, and appetite change across the menstrual cycle?

Appetite increases significantly before and during the period. Pain can disrupt sleep, especially during menstruation. Single women report much worse sleep and pain during their period than married women do.

Study, 2026

Does the menstrual cycle affect athletic performance, recovery, or sleep despite hormone changes?

Hormone levels change significantly across the menstrual cycle and symptoms are higher at certain times, but athletic performance, recovery, and sleep remain consistent in trained women. This is a well-designed study.

Case-control study, 2026

How does the menstrual cycle affect sleep?

Women with ovulatory cycles sleep longer and have longer REM sleep than those without ovulation, but the five phases of the cycle do not show significant differences in sleep. Whether you ovulate appears to matter more than which cycle phase you are in.

Survey study, 2025

Do menstrual problems and poor sleep affect mood and thinking in teenage girls?

Yes. Clear links exist between menstrual pain or PMS symptoms and anxiety, depression, and social problems in adolescent girls. Sleep also matters. Girls with later bedtimes or shorter sleep plus pain had worse mood and thinking problems.

Survey study, 2025

Does PMDD affect screen time, sleep quality, and how fast people react?

Yes. Women with PMDD spent more time on phones, had worse sleep, and were slower to respond to sounds and images compared to healthy women.

Study, 2025

Do ADHD symptoms get worse in the week before your period?

Yes. Women with ADHD had more symptoms, worse sleep, and higher stress in the late luteal phase (the week or so before their period), and they took more medication during this time.

Survey study, 2025

What behavioral symptoms of premenstrual syndrome are most common?

Most women studied (519 out of 650) experienced at least one premenstrual symptom, with insomnia, confusion, difficulty concentrating, and avoiding social situations being most common. These behavioral symptoms were the top concerns for women with PMS.

Survey study, 2025

Does sleep quality affect the severity of premenstrual symptoms?

Yes, women with poor sleep quality had significantly higher scores for premenstrual symptoms across all phases of the menstrual cycle compared to those with normal sleep quality.

Case-control study, 2025

Does sleep quality affect brain activity and anxiety-depression symptoms in PMS?

Yes. Poor sleep quality in PMS patients is linked to different brain activity patterns. The relationship between certain brain changes and anxiety-depression symptoms is partly explained by sleep quality.

Cohort study, 2025

How do menstrual cycle phase and birth control type affect sleep and training readiness?

All female endurance athletes reported higher symptom severity during bleeding days and lower sleep quality and training readiness before menstruation, with some differences by birth control type. These patterns held for both pill and non-pill users.

Study, 2025

Does the menstrual cycle affect sleep, energy, and injury risk in young female athletes?

Yes. Young female athletes reported worse sleep and more tiredness during the luteal phase, particularly the week before their period. They also had more injuries during these phases.

Survey study, 2025

Can a smartphone app help diagnose and monitor PMS?

Yes. A Telegram chatbot achieved 80% active participation and tracked PMS symptoms effectively, showing promise as a tool for diagnosis and monitoring.

Randomised trial, 2025

Does whole-body cryostimulation improve sleep quality in female athletes during different menstrual phases?

Yes, whole-body cryostimulation improved sleep quality and reduced fatigue during the mid-luteal phase, when sleep naturally worsens. It did not help during other phases.

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.

Study, 2025

How do relationship difficulties and emotional control affect the link between PMS and poor sleep?

Both relationship difficulties and how people manage emotions affect the link between PMS and sleep problems. When women suppress emotions more, PMS affects sleep differently.

Cohort study, 2025

What causes migraine in female college students who have PMS?

Among college students with PMS, those with migraine have worse sleep quality and higher anxiety. Poor sleep and anxiety appear to predict migraine risk.

Survey study, 2025

How does sexual desire change during the menstrual cycle?

Sexual desire typically increases around ovulation when estrogen is highest, but stress, sleep, relationship quality, and PMS or PMDD can weaken this biological pattern.

Survey study, 2025

What affects sleep quality in nursing students?

Several factors affect sleep quality: perceived mental health, PMS symptoms, perceived stress, and psychological well-being. Together, these explained about half the differences in how well students slept.

Survey study, 2025

Are premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms, stress, and sleep quality linked in female nursing students?

Yes, there was a clear link between more premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms and higher stress, and between stress and worse sleep.

Survey study, 2024

Does poor sleep and period problems affect teen mental health?

Yes. Teenagers with irregular periods, PMS, or menstrual pain had more anxiety and sadness, especially those sleeping less or going to bed later.

Survey study, 2024

Can a spiritual emotional freedom technique delivered through an app help with PMS and sleep?

Yes, in this study the app-based technique improved sleep quality and reduced premenstrual syndrome scores.

Systematic review, 2024

Do women with PMS or PMDD have disrupted body clocks and sleep?

Yes, the evidence so far suggests women with PMS/PMDD tend to have lower melatonin, higher nighttime body temperature, and worse sleep quality, but many other measures are mixed or show no difference, so this is not fully settled.

Survey study, 2024

Do health habits like exercise and sleep affect PMS and period pain?

Yes. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and an active sex life reduced dysmenorrhea and PMS symptoms, while oversleeping, poor diet, and low activity increased symptoms. The study is large but observational, so we can't prove these habits cause the improvements.

Cohort study, 2024

How does sleep change across your menstrual cycle?

Sleep was best during the mid-to-late follicular phase (when estrogen is rising) compared to menstruation and the luteal phase. This is fairly clear evidence from 96 women.

Study, 2024

How does menstrual cycle phase affect sleep and recovery after exercise?

Sleep quality was worse during the luteal phase (the second half of the cycle) than during earlier phases, with women waking up more and sleeping less deeply. Recovery feelings and muscle soreness were not affected by cycle phase.

Study, 2024

How do finger temperature, heart rate, and sleep change across the menstrual cycle?

Finger temperature and heart rate changed across the menstrual cycle, but sleep measures stayed the same in these healthy women. Heart rate was lowest during menses in both younger and older women.

Cohort study, 2024

Does shift work worsen PMS symptoms in newly graduated nurses?

Yes. PMS got worse six months after newly graduated nurses started shift work and stayed worse at 18 months. Sleep quality and fatigue were the strongest linked factors.

Survey study, 2024

What factors are linked to PMS in school-age girls?

22% of these Ethiopian school students had PMS. Heavy coffee drinking and sleep problems were the strongest risk factors, while exercise was protective. Results are from one city in Ethiopia.

Survey study, 2024

How do occupational stress and sleep quality relate to premenstrual syndrome in nurses?

Occupational stress increases PMS, and poor sleep quality partly explains this relationship. Sleep quality accounted for about half the connection between stress and PMS.

Survey study, 2024

Does poor sleep quality cause menstrual problems and reduced egg supply in women of childbearing age?

Yes. Women with chronic insomnia had very high rates of PMS (74.5%) and irregular periods (78.4%). In women aged 36 to 40, insomnia lasting over one year was linked to reduced egg reserve (odds ratio 4.5).

Survey study, 2024

Did COVID-19 stress cause changes in menstrual cycles?

Yes, the pandemic was linked to menstrual cycle changes, and women with these changes were more likely to have depression and sleep problems, though the study can't prove stress caused the changes.

Survey study, 2024

Are menstrual cycle symptoms related to sleep problems and mental health in female athletes?

Yes. Women with more menstrual symptoms reported more depression, anxiety, stress problems, and sleep issues.

Lab study, 2023

Does sleep change across the menstrual cycle?

No clear difference in healthy women. Objective sleep measurements remained stable across the menstrual cycle. Women approaching menopause reported feeling they slept worse overall compared to younger women, though their actual sleep duration was similar.

Randomised trial, 2023

Does a one-week sleep and light intervention help PMDD mood symptoms?

A one-week intervention combining evening sleep restriction and morning bright light significantly improved mood more than the opposite pattern, and the benefit was linked to earlier timing of the body's melatonin rhythm. We can be fairly confident in this finding.

Survey study, 2023

Does pilates plus breathing exercise help quality of life and sleep in women with PMS?

Yes. After 8 weeks, women who did pilates and breathing exercises had clear improvements in quality of life and sleep compared to those who did breathing only.

Randomised trial, 2023

Does curcumin help with sleep problems in women with PMS and period pain?

No. Both the curcumin and placebo groups improved similarly, with no significant difference between them.

Survey study, 2023

What factors make premenstrual syndrome worse in nursing students?

The study found that PMS is linked to menstrual pain, poor sleep, neuroticism (a personality trait), and stress. These factors together explain about 44% of why some students have worse PMS than others.

Study, 2023

Does sleep quality affect your mood differently during your period?

Menstrual phase alone did not affect mood, but sleep and cycle phase together did. Good sleep protected your mood during menses, while poor sleep made your mood drop more during menses than at other times.

Survey study, 2023

What factors make PMS worse in college students?

Depression, stress, sleep problems, and eating attitude problems are all linked to worse PMS. Most students had symptoms severe enough to be called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

Systematic review, 2023

Is poor sleep linked to menstrual problems like PMS and painful periods?

Yes. Thirty-five studies found that PMS and painful periods are associated with poor sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, difficulty sleeping, and short sleep duration.

Review, 2023

Can herbs and supplements help with PMS symptoms?

Herbs like chaste berry and supplements like calcium and magnesium may help with PMS. Evidence is strongest when combined with lifestyle changes and therapy, though more research is needed.

Review, 2023

Does the menstrual cycle affect sleep?

Yes, women with PMS or period pain often have poorer sleep quality during the premenstrual phase and menstruation. Even women without these symptoms show changes in sleep brain activity during the luteal phase when progesterone is high.

Cohort study, 2023

Does inconsistent sleep duration harm your heart health during your cycle?

Yes, sleep variability is linked to cardiovascular risk markers even in young healthy women, though the connections differ depending on race and shift work status.

Survey study, 2022

How common are PMS and PMDD? Are stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems related to them?

About 22.49% of women have PMS and 1.36% have PMDD. Women with these conditions have much higher stress, anxiety, and depression and worse sleep than women without them.

Study, 2022

What mood and thinking changes are linked to premenstrual sleep and eating problems?

Low interest and apathy are linked to worse insomnia and eating changes in the week before a period. These sleep problems are also linked to problems at work, in hobbies, and in relationships.

Survey study, 2022

Are depressive symptoms linked to menstrual distress?

Yes, strongly. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with menstrual distress in both the premenstrual and menstrual phases, even after accounting for shift work, sleep, and other factors.

Survey study, 2022

Do women with PMDD have different brain function at different cycle phases?

Yes. Women with PMDD have worse focus and decision-making during the week before their period, and they have more difficulty managing emotions throughout the cycle.

Survey study, 2022

What factors are associated with irregular menstrual cycles and how do irregular cycles affect other symptoms?

Irregular cycles (varying by more than 7 days) affected 21% of nurses. Higher weight, lack of vigorous exercise, shift work, and heavy lifting were associated with irregular cycles. Women with irregular cycles also reported more depression, anxiety, stress, fatigue, and sleep problems.

Survey study, 2022

Did the COVID-19 pandemic change women's periods and mental health?

Yes. More than half of women reported changes in their menstrual cycle, including more heavy bleeding, painful periods, and missed periods. Rates of depression, anxiety, and poor sleep were more than double what is normal, and these were connected to menstrual changes.

Cohort study, 2022

Do women with both bipolar disorder and PMDD have worse biological rhythm disruptions?

Yes, women with both bipolar disorder and PMDD experienced greater disruptions in biological rhythms across both the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle, especially in sleep and activity patterns.

Study, 2022

Which premenstrual symptoms change with the menstrual cycle in midlife women?

Mood, muscle and nerve, and body-wide symptoms worsen before the period in women reporting PMS. Hot flashes and sleep problems do not follow this pattern, and menopausal transition stage does not affect any symptoms.

Study, 2022

Does having COVID-19 affect premenstrual syndrome symptoms?

Yes. Women who recovered from COVID-19 within the previous 6 months reported more PMS symptoms than women who had never had COVID-19.

Cohort study, 2021

How does the menstrual cycle affect how quickly teenage girls fall asleep?

Yes. Teenage girls took longer to fall asleep when they had PMS. They fell asleep faster if they were 8 to 14 days past their period compared to being within 7 days or 15 to 25 days past it. Interestingly, girls slept better overall than boys when objectively measured.

Cohort study, 2021

Do women with PMDD have worse sleep, focus, and tiredness problems that get worse before their period?

Yes, women with PMDD have more severe insomnia, attention problems, and fatigue than women without it, and these symptoms get significantly worse in the late luteal phase (the days before menstruation).

Survey study, 2021

Does premenstrual syndrome affect sleep quality?

Yes. Women with PMS had shorter total sleep time, took longer to fall asleep, and had worse sleep quality scores than women without PMS.

Study, 2021

How does the menstrual cycle affect sleep in female athletes?

The menstrual cycle appears to affect sleep in female athletes, changing both the amount of sleep and the types of sleep stages across different phases of the cycle.

Case-control study, 2021

Do women with PMS sleep worse and feel more tired during the day?

Women with PMS were about two times more likely to have poor sleep quality than those without PMS. They also had higher daytime sleepiness scores.

Case-control study, 2021

Does sleep quality change across the menstrual cycle in women with anxiety disorders?

Sleep quality remained mostly stable across menstrual cycle phases in both groups. The only link found was that larger increases in estradiol were associated with fewer nighttime awakenings.

Cohort study, 2020

Does sleeping longer help teenage athletes experience less PMS interference with sports?

Yes. Teenage girls who sleep longer in one year are less likely to have PMS symptoms interfere with their athletic performance the next year.

Study, 2020

Does sleep quality change between the first days of the period and mid-cycle?

Yes. Female athletes slept less, took longer to fall asleep, and had lower sleep quality during the first 2 days of their period compared to mid-cycle. Women concerned about sanitary products had even less deep sleep.

Randomised trial, 2020

Does a lifestyle program help young women with irregular periods?

The program did not significantly improve menstrual regularity or hormone levels, but it did reduce some PMS symptoms like depression and anxiety and improved sleep.

Case-control study, 2020

Is diet quality lower in teenagers with PMS?

Yes. Teenagers with PMS have lower diet quality scores. Better diet quality was linked to less anxiety, depression, and sleep problems in girls with PMS.

Randomised trial, 2020

Does zinc supplementation improve quality of life and sleep in young women with PMS?

Zinc improved the physical aspects of quality of life significantly but overall quality of life improvement wasn't significantly better than placebo. Sleep quality showed a small improvement in the zinc group but it wasn't statistically significant.

Survey study, 2020

Do sleep problems make PMS worse in shift-working nurses?

Yes, poor sleep quality and irregular sleep times are linked to worse PMS. Sleep quality also explains how work stress affects PMS.

Survey study, 2020

Does poor sleep worsen PMS and other menstrual problems?

Yes, strongly. Women with poor sleep quality or insomnia are significantly more likely to have irregular periods, heavy bleeding, painful periods, and PMS. Those with insomnia are 1.93 times more likely to have PMS.

Survey study, 2020

How are sleep problems, mood disorders and the menstrual cycle connected?

About one third of women have disrupted sleep before their period, especially those with premenstrual mood disorders. Hormonal changes and circadian rhythm disruption likely explain this.

Cohort study, 2020

Does sleep duration and sleep timing affect reproductive hormones and ovulation?

Yes, but the effects are modest. For every extra hour of sleep, estradiol increased 3.9% and progesterone increased 9.4%. Less than 7 hours of sleep was linked to earlier hormone peaks, and shift work was linked to lower testosterone.

Randomised trial, 2020

Does progesterone therapy help premenstrual syndrome in women with PCOS?

Yes, progesterone significantly reduced multiple emotional PMS symptoms in women with PCOS, including depression, anxiety, and mood swings.

Survey study, 2019

Is poor sleep linked to worse PMS symptoms?

Yes. Women with worse PMS symptoms reported worse sleep quality. The study found that 85.6% of women had some premenstrual symptoms and 36.5% had PMS diagnosed by formal criteria.

Randomised trial, 2019

Does yoga help sleep problems in women with premenstrual syndrome?

Yes. Yoga significantly improved sleep quality, sleep efficiency, and how quickly women fell asleep compared to doing nothing.

Randomised trial, 2019

Does cooling the head during sleep improve sleep quality during the luteal phase?

Yes, according to a small study. Young women with daytime sleepiness during the luteal phase showed improved sleep quality with head cooling, including fewer sleep interruptions and more deep sleep.

Survey study, 2019

What lifestyle and sleep habits are linked to PMS in teenage girls?

In Japanese high school students, poor sleep quality, long internet use, skipping breakfast, and not playing sports were linked to higher PMS risk, with menstrual pain being the strongest risk factor. This is observational so we cannot be sure these habits cause PMS.

Cohort study, 2019

Does insomnia from shift work cause irregular periods?

Yes. Nurses with insomnia had 2-3 times higher odds of developing irregular periods compared to those without insomnia. The more severe the insomnia, the higher the risk.

Randomised trial, 2018

Can a lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) capsule improve mental health symptoms in teenage girls with PMS?

Yes, in this trial girls taking lemon balm capsules had significantly better scores for psychosomatic symptoms, anxiety, sleep problems and social functioning than girls taking a placebo.

Randomised trial, 2018

Does swimming reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms?

Yes. Swimming significantly reduced anxiety, depression, cramps, headaches, and most other PMS symptoms, but it did not help irritability or food cravings.

Lab study, 2018

Does menstrual cycle phase affect how sleep loss impacts attention?

Women in the follicular phase had the worst attention during sleep deprivation, especially at night, while women in the luteal phase performed as well as or better than men. This suggests women are more vulnerable to attention problems at certain cycle points.

Review, 2018

How does the menstrual cycle affect sleep?

Sleep quality is worse during the premenstrual phase and during menstruation, especially if you have PMS or period pain. The week before your period also involves less REM sleep and changes in body temperature.

Survey study, 2017

Does less sleep lead to irregular periods in teenage girls?

Yes. Girls who sleep 5 hours or less per night are much more likely to have irregular periods than those who sleep 8 or more hours. Of 801 girls studied, 15% had irregular periods.

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.

Survey study, 2017

Does painful menstruation affect adolescent girls' mood, emotions, sleep, and thinking?

Yes. Girls with painful periods had higher depression, aggression, and sleep problems compared to girls without painful periods. However, thinking ability was not affected. Girls with only PMS (without pain) were similar to girls without either condition.

Survey study, 2017

Does heart rate during sleep change at different points in the menstrual cycle?

Yes. Heart rate increases at the fertile window and mid-luteal phase compared to the menstrual phase. The increases are small: 2.1 beats per minute at the fertile window and 3.8 beats per minute at the mid-luteal phase.

Cohort study, 2017

Are oxidation levels abnormal in women with PMDD?

No. Women with PMDD did not differ from healthy controls in oxidant-antioxidant balance or paraoxonase-1 enzyme levels, despite having higher depression and anxiety symptoms.

Survey study, 2016

Do hormonal contraceptives reduce PMS symptoms?

Hormonal contraceptives are linked to lower risk of some PMS symptoms, including cramps, fatigue, and depression, but not others like mood swings and bloating.

Survey study, 2016

Does sleep difficulty change across the menstrual cycle?

This study of 213 young women found that sleep difficulty varies across the menstrual cycle in different patterns for different women. Some had more trouble around their period or mid-cycle, while others showed no change.

Cohort study, 2015

Does sleep get worse before your period?

Yes. Sleep efficiency dropped by 5% and total sleep time was 25 minutes less in the week before the period compared with the week before that.

Case-control study, 2015

Does lamotrigine reduce menstrual cycle-related mood changes in women with bipolar disorder?

Women with treated bipolar disorder showed greater mood and sleep changes across the menstrual cycle compared to healthy women. Women taking lamotrigine had less mood fluctuation and were more similar to healthy women than those not taking lamotrigine.

Case-control study, 2015

How does menstrual cycle phase affect sleep in midlife women with and without insomnia?

Sleep is more disrupted during the luteal phase (high progesterone) than the follicular phase in midlife women, with more awakenings and less deep sleep. Women with insomnia had consistently worse sleep than women without insomnia in both phases.

Randomised trial, 2015

Does menstrual cycle phase change how the body responds to stress when sleep-deprived?

Sleep deprivation affected the heart and blood pressure similarly in both menstrual cycle phases. However, resting blood pressure was slightly lower during the luteal phase.

Cohort study, 2015

Is sleep quality worse before your period?

Yes, but the difference is small. Women reported sleep quality 1.32 points worse on a 1-100 scale before their period, but this gap disappeared when stress was included in the analysis.

Survey study, 2015

Is PMS related to sleep quality and attitudes about periods?

Yes. Women with worse PMS symptoms had worse sleep quality and more negative attitudes about their periods. The associations were statistically significant.

Study, 2014

Do women with PMDD lose the normal ability to control pain with emotions?

No. Women with PMDD and control women both showed the same pattern: pain was strongest during negative emotions and weakest during positive emotions, regardless of cycle phase.

Survey study, 2014

Does painful periods affect sleep?

Yes. Women with painful periods had worse sleep quality, took longer to fall asleep, and woke more frequently during the night. Sleep quality was best around the time of ovulation.

Non-randomised trial, 2014

Does the menstrual cycle phase change how one night of poor sleep affects the stress hormone cortisol?

Yes, one night of sleep restriction raised cortisol responses in women in the follicular phase, but not in women in the luteal phase, so cycle timing seems to matter.

Survey study, 2014

Do women who had PMS develop more hot flashes in menopause?

No. Women with a history of premenstrual symptoms did not have more or worse hot flashes after menopause. However, those with a PMS history did report more problems with memory, mood, sleep, and feeling less attractive during the menopause transition.

Cohort study, 2013

How do menstrual cycle phase and hormonal birth control affect sleep?

Women on hormonal birth control had better sleep quality and fewer breathing interruptions during sleep compared to women not on birth control. The effect of birth control was stronger than menstrual cycle phase.

Survey study, 2013

What lifestyle and diet factors are linked to PMS in young women?

39.85% of students had PMS. Those with PMS were more likely to eat more eggs, drink more alcohol, sleep poorly, have mental health concerns, have a family history of high cholesterol, and have higher cholesterol levels themselves.

Survey study, 2013

Are menstrual symptoms common in middle-aged women and do they relate to hot flushes?

Cramping is common (54%) but mood symptoms are less frequent (8-9%). Cramping and back pain were associated with hot flushes, suggesting hormonal changes may affect both.

Randomised trial, 2013

Does progesterone reduce PMS symptoms in women with polycystic ovary syndrome?

Yes. Women with PCOS and PMS who took progesterone had significant reductions in depression, anxiety, mood swings, bloating, and several other PMS symptoms compared to placebo.

Study, 2012

Does stress affect your body differently during your luteal phase?

Yes, women show greater heart rate and blood pressure increases to stress during their luteal phase compared to their follicular phase. Sleep and negative mood together affect how much anxiety stress causes during the luteal phase.

Study, 2012

Do women with severe PMS have poor sleep quality?

Women with severe PMS feel like they sleep poorly before menstruation, but measurements of their actual sleep don't show this. How they feel about sleep is strongly linked to anxiety.

Survey study, 2012

What psychiatric conditions are linked to PMDD in Korean women?

About 2.4% of Korean women experience PMDD. Women with PMDD were much more likely to have depression, anxiety, PTSD, alcohol problems, insomnia, and suicidal thoughts than women without PMDD.

Randomised trial, 2012

Do sleep benefits for memory vary by sex and menstrual cycle phase?

Yes. Men's memory improved after napping, but women's did so only during mid-luteal phase, with female hormones playing a role.

Randomised trial, 2011

Do different sanitary pads affect sleep during menstruation?

No. Neither pad A nor pad B changed sleep quality compared to each other or to sleep during the follicular phase.

Case-control study, 2010

Are women with menstrual migraines more likely to be morning or evening people?

No. This study found no difference in whether women with menstrual migraines or healthy women prefer mornings or evenings.

Randomised trial, 2008

Does Femal help with sleep problems and PMS symptoms?

Yes. Femal significantly reduced premenstrual sleep disturbances. In women whose main symptom was irritability, Femal also reduced overall PMS symptoms.

Survey study, 2008

How do eating, sleep, and sexual activity change across the menstrual cycle?

Women ate more and slept worse during their luteal and premenstrual phases. Women who were sexually active had lower stress hormones than those who abstained.

Study, 2008

What triggers migraine headaches in people?

Emotional stress (64%), sleep problems (81%), and the premenstrual period (53% reported hormonal triggers) are major migraine triggers. Many people also reported dietary triggers and smells as causes.

Systematic review, 2007

Does light exposure affect menstrual cycles through melatonin?

Yes, there is evidence that light exposure affects menstrual cycles and symptoms through melatonin secretion. Women with bipolar disorder or polycystic ovary syndrome may be especially vulnerable.

Survey study, 2004

Does sleep quality change at different times of the menstrual cycle?

Yes, sleep quality feels worse during the 3 days before your period and the 4 days of menstruation. However, the total amount of sleep and how long it takes to fall asleep do not change across the cycle.

Study, 2003

Do breast tenderness and hot flushes follow a pattern during the month?

Breast tenderness and night sweats clearly increased in the days before a period in most cycles. Daytime hot flushes did not show a clear pattern related to cycle timing overall, except in cycles when ovulation occurred.

Review, 2003

What is PMDD and what treats it?

PMDD is a severe form of PMS affecting 3-8% of women of reproductive age. It is marked by depression, anxiety, emotional instability, and reduced activity during the luteal phase. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are the most effective treatment.

Cohort study, 2003

How does the menstrual cycle affect women's sleep?

We cannot yet draw clear conclusions because existing studies are small and use different methods. However, sleep is almost always disrupted during pregnancy and postpartum, and menopause often causes insomnia.

Randomised trial, 2000

Do cortisol rhythms differ between PMDD and normal women across the menstrual cycle and sleep deprivation?

The timing of when cortisol is released differs between women with PMDD and normal women, both across the menstrual cycle and in response to late sleep deprivation. The amount of cortisol does not differ.

Cohort study, 2000

Does progesterone affect REM sleep and mood?

Yes. During the menstrual cycle, women with high progesterone had more REM sleep and better mood. After birth, when progesterone drops, sleep patterns change but mood seems related more to overall sleep disruption than to progesterone changes alone.

Study, 1999

Does how sleepy women feel change at different times of day during the menstrual cycle?

Yes. During daytime hours, women feel more sleepy and have more deep sleep during naps in the second half of the cycle, but sleepiness does not differ at other times of day.

Randomised trial, 1999

Does melatonin help reduce stress symptoms during simulated time zone travel?

Melatonin appeared to reduce stress more than placebo during simulated time zone travel, based on mood questionnaires. However, this was a small study with unclear sample size using simulated rather than real travel, limiting confidence in the findings.

Non-randomised trial, 1999

Can sleep deprivation help PMDD symptoms?

Yes, sleep deprivation may help some women with PMDD, possibly by correcting circadian rhythm problems. Women with PMDD showed similar sleep changes across the cycle as healthy women.

Randomised trial, 1997

Does light therapy affect melatonin in women with PMDD?

Bright light affected melatonin timing and levels in women with PMDD depending on when the light was given, with morning light shifting it earlier and evening light shifting it later. The evidence is moderate because it comes from a controlled study, but only 21 women with PMDD were studied.

Randomised trial, 1997

Are body temperature rhythms different in women with PMDD, and does partial sleep deprivation help?

Women with PMDD had different body temperature patterns across the cycle and responded differently to partial sleep deprivation than control women. The evidence is moderate because it comes from a controlled study, but only 23 women with PMDD were studied.

Randomised trial, 1996

Are hormone rhythms different in women with PMDD, and are they corrected by partial sleep deprivation?

Women with PMDD had higher prolactin levels and earlier TSH peak timing than normal women. Partial sleep deprivation changed these hormones, but these changes did not appear to explain how sleep deprivation helped PMDD symptoms. The evidence is moderate but based on a small study.

Survey study, 1996

What symptoms do women experience before their period, and do they stay the same over time?

Women experience five main types of symptoms in the week before their period: mood symptoms, hot flashes, body aches, muscle and nerve symptoms, and sleep problems. Mood symptoms are most consistent over time.

Randomised trial, 1995

Does partial sleep deprivation help PMDD symptoms?

Not directly. Women with PMDD improved after recovery sleep (getting normal sleep) but not from the sleep deprivation itself, and placebo effects cannot be ruled out.

Review, 1994

Which hormones change across the menstrual cycle?

Body temperature and adrenaline-related chemicals change predictably. Prolactin and serotonin may change around ovulation. Thyroid hormones and cortisol appear stable.

Randomised trial, 1994

How does light therapy affect hormone levels in women with PMDD?

Light therapy shifted hormone timing in women with PMDD in different ways depending on the time of day. Women with PMDD had naturally higher prolactin levels throughout their cycle compared to women without PMDD.

Survey study, 1989

Is depression that occurs premenstrually different from clinical depression?

Yes. Women with PMS experience depressive mood changes premenstrually, but their depression scores are about a third lower than women with clinical depression, and their hormone patterns are also different, showing these are distinct conditions.

Case report, 2026

Can anxiety and PMDD trigger binge drinking, and can medication help?

This single case shows that a woman whose binge drinking episodes were triggered by anxiety and linked to her PMDD improved with medication: her anxiety and drinking urges decreased, and she had no new drinking episodes at 12 weeks.

Cohort study, 2026

Is there a link between excessive anxiety and mood changes during the menstrual cycle?

Among female medical students during COVID, those who had a tendency to focus excessively on small details had more depression, sleep problems, and some perceived menstrual changes. However, this was just an observation, not proof of cause and effect.

Case-control study, 2026

Does deep sleep work differently in the brain for women with PMDD?

Yes, this tiny study found women with PMDD had different sleep wave patterns than healthy women across the whole menstrual cycle, but with only 6 women the result is very uncertain.

Survey study, 2026

Is PMDD linked to sleep problems, diet, and academic stress in female medical students?

This study found a clear association between PMDD and poor sleep, and between PMDD and academic burnout in female medical students. However, there was no clear relationship between PMDD and diet.

Survey study, 2026

Is poor sleep linked to PMS and other period problems?

Yes. In this study, women with worse sleep and insomnia symptoms were more likely to report PMS, painful periods, and irregular cycles, but this only shows a link, not that poor sleep causes these problems.

Survey study, 2026

How do PMS, sleep, activity, and weight affect how women feel about their bodies?

Women with worse PMS, poorer sleep, higher weight, and more sitting time felt worse about their bodies. These factors worked together, with PMS having an independent effect beyond just weight.

Cohort study, 2026

How are meal timing and sleep timing associated with PMS symptoms and menstrual pain?

Meal and sleep timing were associated with PMS symptoms and menstrual pain, but the connections differed between workdays and free days. Because this was a cross-sectional study, we cannot be sure if changing meal or sleep times would actually improve symptoms.

Survey study, 2026

Does exercise and good sleep reduce PMS in teenage girls?

Teenage girls who exercised more had much less severe PMS, and those with better sleep also had less severe PMS. Both links are strong and statistically significant.

Survey study, 2026

How do PMS, pain sensitivity, and sleep connect in women with fibromyalgia?

Worse PMS was linked to worse sleep and higher pain sensitivity in this group. Pain sensitivity may partly explain why PMS severity affects sleep, but the relationships are complex.

Survey study, 2026

Does PMS affect how well young women sleep?

This study set out to check whether premenstrual syndrome is linked to poorer sleep in women aged 18 to 25, but the text available here only describes the background and methods, not the actual results, so no clear answer can be given from what is provided.

Review, 2026

Do men experience premenstrual syndrome?

No. Men do not experience PMS in the strict sense because PMS is defined in relation to the menstrual cycle, which men do not have. However, men may experience recurrent mood, energy, and behavior changes from different biological and social causes.

Survey study, 2026

Which lifestyle habits are linked to PMS in teenage girls?

Poor sleep and high stress predict PMS, with stress being strongest (AOR=6.468); exercise was not linked. However, this was a small study in one school in Indonesia, so findings may not generalize.

Survey study, 2026

What patterns of mood changes and food cravings occur during the menstrual cycle in college students?

Nearly 60% reported food cravings during menstruation, with dairy products most common. Mood swings were most prominent in the premenstrual phase and linked to poor sleep quality.

Survey study, 2026

Do adolescents have pain in multiple body areas during periods and does this connect to other symptoms?

Yes. Adolescents had pain in an average of 2.8 body areas during menstruation, and widespread pain was significantly linked to more PMS symptoms, fatigue, sleep problems, and body sensitivity.

Survey study, 2026

How do hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle affect sleep?

Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle affect sleep quality. Women with PMS or PMDD often have poor sleep and daytime fatigue. During menopause, 40 to 60 out of 100 women have sleep problems due to falling estrogen and hot flashes.

Study, 2026

How can lifestyle changes help reduce premenstrual syndrome?

Most women (75%) experience some premenstrual symptoms, but about 10% have severe symptoms. Exercise, diet changes, sleep, and stress reduction can help manage PMS.

Survey study, 2026

Is severe PMS associated with insomnia risk in working women?

The study could not find a statistically significant link. However, women with severe PMS had nearly 5 times higher odds of insomnia, suggesting a real trend that needs further research.

Survey study, 2026

How common is PMS in female medical students and what helps?

PMS was very common, affecting 84.69% of students. Rest and sleep were most helpful (90.78%), followed by music (61.65%) and hot showers (49.51%). Sleep patterns and physical activity were linked to PMS.

Survey study, 2026

Are poor sleep and high stress linked to worse PMS symptoms in students?

Yes, students with poorer sleep and higher stress tended to report more severe PMS symptoms, but this survey cannot prove that stress or poor sleep actually cause PMS.

Survey study, 2026

Does smartphone use affect PMS symptoms through sleep?

Smartphone use is linked to worse sleep and more PMS symptoms. Poor sleep partly explains the connection between smartphone use and PMS.

Survey study, 2026

Is PMS linked to sleep quality in young women?

In university students, 99.8% had PMS and 86.8% had poor sleep quality. Students with poor sleep had higher PMS scores.

Survey study, 2026

Is there a link between PMS symptom severity and daily stress hormone levels?

Women who reported worse PMS symptoms had lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels during the day. Cortisol patterns varied slightly across cycle phases, suggesting stress hormones may play a role in PMS, though this was a very small study.

Survey study, 2026

How common is PMDD in Russian medical students, and what are its symptoms?

About 14.3% of medical students had PMDD, or 25.4% including mild forms. Most common symptoms were depression (87.9%), anxiety (48.3%), and sleep problems (31.0%).

Survey study, 2026

How do pre-menstrual symptoms affect the work and social life of young women?

Pre-menstrual symptoms affect 51.3% of women aged 15-35 with mild-to-moderate PMS and 7.5% with PMDD, significantly disrupting work and social activities. The severity of symptoms directly predicts how much they interfere with daily life.

Survey study, 2025

Does PMS affect thinking ability, sleep quality, and attention in teenage girls?

Yes. Teenage girls with PMS had lower scores on thinking tests, worse sleep quality, and a shorter Stroop effect duration than girls without PMS.

Survey study, 2025

Does academic stress and delaying sleep affect PMS symptoms?

Academic stress and bedtime procrastination (delaying going to sleep) were both clearly related to PMS symptoms in nursing students.

Survey study, 2025

What factors most affect premenstrual syndrome in teenage girls?

Poor sleep quality was the strongest factor. Girls with poor sleep had 9 times higher risk of PMS than girls with good sleep.

Survey study, 2025

Do PMS symptoms ease once your period starts, and does diet make them worse?

Yes, many PMS symptoms were significantly less severe after menstruation began, and eating more sugar or fat was linked to worse irritability and tension, while multi-nutrient supplements and higher education seemed to help, in this Bangladeshi study of 400 women.

Interview study, 2025

Does sleep quality affect how severe PMS symptoms are?

Yes. Poor sleep was linked to more severe PMS symptoms, including anger, anxiety, mood changes, and fatigue.

Survey study, 2025

Does eating fewer calories affect sleep during the menstrual cycle?

Yes. Eating 55% fewer calories disrupts sleep in healthy young women, especially in the late luteal phase when hormone levels are higher.

Non-randomised trial, 2025

Does ubiquinol supplement improve menstrual symptoms?

Possibly, especially in women over 36. In a small open-label pilot study, ubiquinol improved symptom control and mood during premenstrual and menstrual phases, particularly in women 36 and older, and improved sleep quality in that age group.

Survey study, 2025

Is PMS linked to fear of childbirth in first-time pregnant women?

Yes, nearly half of first-time pregnant women experienced fear of childbirth, and PMS showed a moderate link to it. Poor sleep, weak support, and relationship problems also mattered.

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.

Randomised trial, 2025

Can nutrients help PMS by regulating multiple body systems?

The paper proposes a theoretical framework suggesting nutrients could work across brain, hormone, blood vessel, and metabolic systems to help PMS. No evidence is presented. This is a conceptual proposal requiring clinical trials.

Randomised trial, 2025

Can soy isoflavone supplements help with PMS and PMDD symptoms?

This paper describes theoretical mechanisms through which soy isoflavone supplements could help PMS and PMDD by affecting hormones, neurotransmitters, and inflammation. However, it presents only theoretical pathways, not results from actual human trials, so real-world effectiveness remains unknown.

Survey study, 2025

Can sleeping heart rate predict menstrual cycle phases and ovulation using machine learning?

Yes. Adding sleeping heart rate data significantly improved predictions of menstrual cycle phases and ovulation, especially in people with irregular sleep schedules.

Survey study, 2025

Do hormone levels during the menstrual cycle affect sleep in female athletes?

Hormone levels (estradiol and progesterone) themselves do not affect sleep. But having more menstrual symptoms was linked to worse sleep in naturally cycling athletes.

Survey study, 2025

Does the menstrual cycle affect recovery after football matches?

The menstrual cycle has limited effect on how female footballers feel after matches. Perceived recovery may be slightly worse during menstruation, but overall no clear differences were found between cycle phases.

Cohort study, 2025

Do women with PMS have more nightmares before their period, and does nightmare therapy help?

In this very small study, women with PMS showed more frequent nightmares in the premenstrual phase. Nightmare therapy improved overall severity, but the benefit in PMS women specifically was unclear.

Cohort study, 2025

Are sleep problems linked to PMS symptoms and menstrual problems?

Yes, strongly. Women with sleep problems were almost 4 times more likely to have PMS and more than 7 times more likely to have menstrual bleeding problems. However, this was a cross-sectional study so we do not know if sleep problems cause PMS or if PMS causes sleep problems.

Survey study, 2025

How do hormonal changes affect ADHD symptoms in women?

Hormonal changes significantly impact women with ADHD. Symptoms may get worse during certain parts of the menstrual cycle and after childbirth, often with mood and sleep problems.

Survey study, 2025

What is premenstrual syndrome and how can it be managed in adolescent girls?

PMS is a combination of physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms affecting 70-90% of women of reproductive age in Indonesia. It can be managed with medications like NSAIDs and antidepressants, or non-medication approaches like exercise and lifestyle changes.

Survey study, 2025

How common is PMS in medical students and how is it linked to lifestyle?

Very common - 68.3% had PMS. It was strongly linked to high stress (adjusted odds ratio 58.52), short sleep (11.69), lack of exercise (6.07), and frequent fast food (6.79).

Survey study, 2025

How common are painful periods and PMS in medical students and how much do they affect their lives?

Painful periods affected 41.5% and PMS affected 62.02% of medical students. These caused significant problems including missing school for up to a week or more, trouble concentrating, and sleep problems. Most students did not seek professional help.

Survey study, 2025

Do sleep problems and stress increase PMS symptoms in nursing students?

Yes. Students with poor sleep had a 6-fold higher risk of severe PMS, and those with high academic stress had a 29-fold higher risk.

Survey study, 2025

Does being underweight affect sleep differently across the cycle?

Underweight and normal weight women had similar sleep overall. Underweight women woke more during the first part of their cycle and had lower sleep hormones during the second part.

Survey study, 2025

Does menstruation affect how well women sleep?

Yes. Women who were menstruating had lower sleep efficiency (81%) compared to non-menstruating women (84.2%). No other major differences were found in symptoms or blood inflammation markers.

Survey study, 2025

Does social media addiction and sleep disturbance affect PMS in female university students?

Yes. Both social media addiction and sleep disturbances were significantly linked to PMS, with very strong evidence for sleep (p < 0.001) and strong evidence for social media (p = 0.002).

Study, 2025

Could taking a combination of vitamins and minerals help with PMS and PMDD symptoms?

This paper proposes a theoretical framework linking low or borderline vitamin and mineral intake to many health problems, including PMS and PMDD, but it is not a new study testing a supplement in women, so it cannot tell us how well any particular combination actually works.

Survey study, 2025

How do PMDD treatments affect sleep?

This review examines how PMDD treatments like SSRIs affect sleep and circadian rhythms, but current research is limited. More research is needed to fully understand these effects.

Survey study, 2025

Does poor sleep make PMS symptoms worse?

Yes, in this study women with poorer sleep quality had more severe PMS symptoms, including PMDD, psychological and physical symptoms, and daily dysfunction.

Cohort study, 2025

Does PMS affect mental health and sleep-wake cycles?

Yes. Women with PMS have significantly higher depression and anxiety than those without PMS. Sleep-wake timing irregularities may also play a role, though the relationship is unclear.

Survey study, 2025

Are violent tendencies linked to premenstrual symptoms?

Students with higher PMS symptoms, especially anxiety, irritability, and sleep problems, had higher violence tendency scores. This shows a link in the data but doesn't prove that PMS causes violence.

Survey study, 2024

What premenstrual symptoms do martial arts athletes experience?

Martial arts athletes experience both disturbing and non-disturbing PMS symptoms with regular 35-day menstrual cycles, and they have no significant difference in PMS compared to non-athletes.

Randomised trial, 2024

Does a supplement with Rhodiola, Vitex, and vitamin B6 reduce PMS?

The supplement improved mood and antioxidant protection in women taking it, but the study could not tell if this was better than placebo because both groups improved similarly.

Survey study, 2024

Is PMS linked to worse sleep quality in women?

Yes, women with PMS tend to have worse sleep quality. The relationship is statistically significant (p=0.005) but the connection is weak, so other factors matter too.

Survey study, 2024

How do sleep disruption, mood, and menstrual phase affect each other?

During the perimenstrual phase (around menstruation), women wake up 8-16 minutes longer at night than other cycle phases and feel more anger. When sleep is disrupted during this phase, positive emotions drop.

Study, 2024

How do menstrual hormones affect sleep?

Hormones from the menstrual cycle affect sleep, mood, body temperature, and stress responses. Women with PMS or PCOS often have sleep problems, and women with more emotional premenstrual symptoms tend to be sleepier in the week before their period.

Survey study, 2024

Does the menstrual cycle affect well-being and performance in professional female soccer players?

The menstrual cycle phase did not affect how far players ran, how hard they worked, or their overall well-being after matches. Sleep quality was worse after away matches, and losing affected stress and mood for 2 days, regardless of cycle phase.

Survey study, 2024

What premenstrual symptoms are most common in working women?

Physical symptoms like breast tenderness, headaches, joint and muscle pain, bloating and weight gain are most common in moderate to severe form, along with fatigue and irritability. Interestingly, sleeping too much is more common than insomnia.

Survey study, 2024

Does nutrient intake and appetite change during the menstrual cycle relate to PMS symptoms?

Women who eat more carbohydrates, protein, fat, and saturated fat have worse PMS symptoms including anxiety, irritability, depression, pain, fatigue, and sleep problems. Higher appetite also correlates with worse mood and fatigue.

Review, 2024

Can sulpiride help women with both PMDD and IBS?

One woman with PMDD and IBS who had not responded to antidepressants, pain medication, or melatonin experienced remission after taking low-dose sulpiride temporarily each month. This approach has not yet been tested in research studies.

Review, 2024

Can wearable devices track mood changes in PMDD before they happen?

This is a review of existing research, not a new experiment. It suggests that wearable trackers measuring heart rate variability, sleep, and physical activity show promise for spotting mood changes in PMDD, but this has not yet been tested or used in real clinical care.

Survey study, 2024

Do PMS and period pain affect how well adolescents sleep?

Yes. Adolescents with PMS or period pain had clearly worse sleep quality than those without these problems.

Survey study, 2024

Is PMS linked to insomnia in female medical students?

Yes, there was a statistically significant relationship between PMS and insomnia in the students studied.

Survey study, 2023

Does having worse PMS symptoms mean a woman is more likely to feel depressed during pregnancy?

Yes, in this study the mood-related symptoms of PMS, such as low mood, anxiety and poor sleep, strongly predicted depressive symptoms in early pregnancy, which then predicted depression later in pregnancy. This is one observational study, so it shows a link, not a cause-and-effect proof.

Survey study, 2023

Is PMS linked to poor sleep and negative feelings about menstruation?

Yes, worse PMS symptoms are strongly linked to poorer sleep quality and more negative attitudes toward menstruation.

Survey study, 2023

Did COVID-19 lockdown change menstrual cycle length and sleep?

Yes, lockdown was linked to changes in menstrual cycle length for most women, and these changes reversed when lockdown ended. Sleep duration increased during lockdown but was not linked to menstrual cycle changes.

Survey study, 2023

Does childhood trauma increase the risk of PMDD?

Yes. Women who experienced childhood trauma were about three times more likely to have PMDD symptoms than those who did not experience childhood trauma.

Survey study, 2023

Does poor sleep make PMS and period pain worse in teenage girls?

Yes. Poor sleep quality, very short sleep (less than 5 hours), and late bedtimes all affected premenstrual and period symptoms, with sleep quality being the most important factor.

Survey study, 2023

Is there a link between PMS and poor sleep in teenage girls?

Yes, there is a significant relationship between PMS and sleep quality (p=0.020), with 89.2% of girls having poor sleep.

Survey study, 2023

What factors most influence PMS severity in college students?

Sleep problems and eating attitude problems were the strongest factors linked to worse PMS, along with menstrual pain. Together these explained about one quarter of why some women have worse symptoms.

Survey study, 2023

Does connective tissue manipulation help dysmenorrhea pain and other symptoms?

Yes, connective tissue manipulation reduced pain and fatigue significantly. Longer treatment appeared to have longer-lasting benefits through 12 months.

Survey study, 2023

How do eating habits change during the menstrual cycle in women with PMS?

During the luteal phase before the period, women eat less healthy food and more high-calorie food. All 50 women reported having at least one PMS symptom during this phase.

Survey study, 2023

Does PMS affect sleep quality in female medical students?

The study found no overall statistical relationship between PMS severity and sleep quality, though all students with moderate to severe PMS had poor sleep while 61.7% with mild or no PMS also had poor sleep. The unclear pattern suggests the relationship is more complex.

Survey study, 2023

Is there a relationship between PMS and eating disorder symptoms in university students?

The study found high PMS rates and low eating disorder rates in nutrition students. Irregular sleep was linked to more severe PMS, but the relationship between PMS and eating attitudes needs more research.

Survey study, 2023

Does poor sleep quality relate to weight and blood pressure problems in women with PMS?

Women with PMS who slept poorly had about three times more belly fat and higher blood pressure than good sleepers. These problems were not seen in women without PMS, suggesting they may be specific to PMS.

Randomised trial, 2023

Can progressive muscle relaxation and myofascial release reduce PMS symptoms and improve quality of life?

This study is still being conducted and results are not yet available. The researchers plan to compare these two relaxation techniques for treating PMS symptoms.

Survey study, 2023

Does spending too much time on social media make PMS symptoms worse?

Women who spent more time on social media reported worse PMS symptoms and poorer sleep. The connection was clear, though the study cannot show that one causes the other.

Survey study, 2023

Did COVID-19 lifestyle changes worsen PMS symptoms and quality of life?

Changes in diet, exercise, sleep, and stress during COVID-19 affected PMS symptoms in university students and reduced both their physical and mental quality of life. The study shows these are linked but does not identify which specific changes had the most impact.

Randomised trial, 2022

Does a B6 supplement with herbs help sleep and anxiety in PMS and menopause?

Yes, the supplement improved sleep problems by 46.6% and anxiety by 23.2% in women with PMS and those in menopause transition.

Survey study, 2022

What are the most common PMS symptoms and coping strategies in female students?

The most common symptoms were mood swings (77.7%), irritability, fatigue, and breast tenderness. Most students coped by resting, sleeping, or accepting it as natural, but 88.3% had poor health-seeking behavior.

Survey study, 2022

What factors predict body weight in female nursing students?

Sleep disruption, PMS symptoms, and poor sleep quality are all linked to higher body weight in this group. Sleep disruption was the strongest predictor.

Review, 2022

Can melatonin help with premenstrual syndrome symptoms?

Melatonin appears safe and might help with PMS symptoms like sleep problems and low mood, but researchers say more rigorous studies are needed before it can be recommended.

Survey study, 2022

Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women sleep?

Sleep quality may worsen for some women during the premenstrual phase, but not all women experience this. When doctors evaluate women's sleep, they should ask which part of the cycle the woman is in, because this matters.

Survey study, 2022

Can women get psychosis linked to their menstrual cycle?

Yes, menstrual psychosis exists but is extremely rare, with only 30 cases reported worldwide. Estrogen's effect on the brain may play a role.

Survey study, 2022

How common is PMS in university students and what helps them cope with symptoms?

PMS was very common in this group. Most students coped by resting (67.6%) or sleeping (60.7%). Several menstrual and personal factors were linked to higher PMS risk, including family history, heavy periods, and starting menstruation early.

Survey study, 2022

Is there a link between PMS and sleep quality in young women?

Yes, students with worse PMS symptoms tended to have worse sleep quality, and PMS-related sleep changes were the strongest predictor of poor sleep.

Non-randomised trial, 2022

Can a talk-therapy approach that treats several problems at once improve sleep and PMS symptoms?

A small Iranian trial found that women who had 8 sessions of this combined therapy slept better and had fewer PMS symptoms than women who did not, with the improvement still present at follow-up.

Survey study, 2022

Does physical activity or sleep quality help reduce PMS?

Better sleep quality may help reduce PMS, but physical activity did not show a clear link in this study. This very small study of 33 women cannot provide reliable answers.

Cohort study, 2021

Does melatonin help sleep and mood in women with PMDD?

In this small study, 2 mg of melatonin taken at night during the luteal phase helped mood and reduced sleep onset time. Changes in sleep structure and circadian timing were minimal.

Survey study, 2021

What factors are related to premenstrual syndrome in high school students?

Stress level, nutritional status, family history, and sleep patterns were all significantly linked to PMS. Age at first menstruation was not. This was a small observational study.

Review, 2021

Why do periods stop when you're stressed or eating poorly?

Stress, poor nutrition, overexercise, and sleep problems disrupt brain control of hormones, stopping periods. This condition can often be reversed by fixing these underlying causes.

Survey study, 2021

Does the menstrual cycle or birth control affect sleep and memory?

All women improved their memory overnight. Women on birth control and in the luteal phase had more of a certain type of sleep brain wave compared to women in the follicular phase, and this brain wave was linked to higher progesterone levels.

Survey study, 2021

What factors are linked to irregular periods in college students?

32.6% of college women had irregular periods. Being anemic, drinking alcohol, sleeping very little, feeling stressed, iodine deficiency, and being underweight were all linked to irregular periods.

Survey study, 2021

How common is PMS in health care workers?

Very common at 76% overall. But rates were much higher in younger women: 80% of those ages 20-24, dropping to 58.3% in ages 25-30, and 46.6% in ages 31-40.

Survey study, 2021

Are women with ADHD more likely to experience PMDD and postpartum depression?

Yes, very much so. Women with ADHD have significantly higher rates of PMDD and postpartum depression compared to the general population.

Survey study, 2021

Does managing stress, emotions, diet, exercise and sleep help PMS in female athletes?

Yes. Stress response directly affects PMS, and managing emotions well, eating well, exercising and sleeping enough are connected to lower PMS.

Survey study, 2021

Is poor sleep linked to PMS?

Results not provided in the abstract given.

Survey study, 2021

Does the timing of the menstrual cycle relative to moon phases affect sleep quality?

Women whose menstrual cycles began during the dark lunar period had worse sleep quality than those whose cycles began during the light lunar period. The effect was strongest when cycles began during the dark period in two consecutive months.

Survey study, 2020

How do diet and lifestyle factors relate to PMS and PMDD in medical students?

Alcohol and tobacco use were linked to PMDD. Diet type was not linked to PMS or PMDD. Anger and irritability were the most common symptoms.

Survey study, 2020

Does appetite and food cravings change during the menstrual cycle?

Yes. 70.4% of women reported increased appetite during their menstrual cycle, peaking at 85.8% before menstruation. Cravings for sweets were linked to depression, anger, and sleepiness.

Study, 2020

Does body temperature and energy use change during different menstrual cycle phases?

Yes. Women's core body temperature increased by 0.27°C in the luteal phase compared to follicular phase, and energy use increased by 6.9%. Heat loss was reduced during early sleep in the luteal phase.

Survey study, 2020

Do smartphones affect menstrual symptoms in young women?

Women who started using smartphones regularly reported more fatigue and headaches during menstruation, and more irritability and depression before their period. The study was observational so it cannot prove smartphones caused these changes.

Survey study, 2020

How do pandemic stress and sleep problems affect menstrual cycles and PMS?

During lockdown, changes in sleep affected when menstrual cycles started in all women studied. High stress combined with poor sleep was linked to menstrual irregularity and worse PMS.

Survey study, 2020

Do women with IBS and period problems have worse psychological symptoms?

Yes. Women with IBS alongside period pain and PMS show more depression, sleep problems, and worse quality of life than those without IBS.

Survey study, 2020

Do sleep and emotion regulation explain why depression is linked to worse premenstrual symptoms?

Yes, both poor sleep and difficulty regulating emotions partly explain why women with depression also experience more severe premenstrual symptoms. These factors appear to mediate the connection between mood problems and menstrual cycle symptoms.

Survey study, 2020

How common are premenstrual symptoms in secondary school students?

Very common: 82.5% had mood swings or nervousness and 80.1% had fatigue. Educational level and age were associated with symptom severity.

Survey study, 2020

How does sleep quality relate to magnesium levels in women with PMS?

About half of women with PMS had poor sleep quality. Higher magnesium levels were linked to better sleep quality, suggesting magnesium might help.

Survey study, 2019

What are the best ways to manage PMS?

PMS is managed in four steps: create awareness and make lifestyle changes, then offer therapy and complementary treatments, then medication if needed, and rarely surgery. This summarizes international guidelines but doesn't show strong evidence about which approach works best.

Survey study, 2019

What factors affect PMS severity in teenage girls?

Sleep patterns, stress, attitudes about menstruation, and limiting exposure to chemicals all affected PMS severity. Together these factors explained 37% of the differences in PMS severity.

Survey study, 2019

Can birth control pills treat PMDD?

Yes. Birth control pills with drospirenone significantly reduced emotional symptoms like depression and anxiety by 50% at 6 months, while physical symptoms like pain improved by 70%. Without a placebo control, we cannot be certain the medication caused all the improvement.

Survey study, 2018

How does sleep quality affect thinking and physical coordination in women with PMS?

As PMS severity increases, sleep quality worsens and reaction time becomes slower, suggesting worse thinking and coordination. Women with moderate PMS showed the most significant problems.

Randomised trial, 2018

Does sleep affect the LH hormone differently in women with PCOS versus normal women?

Yes, though based on a very small study. In normal women, brief awakenings trigger LH hormone surges while REM sleep suppresses them, but in women with PCOS this pattern is reversed.

Cohort study, 2018

How do hormone changes during your menstrual cycle affect symptoms?

Sleep and headache symptoms tend to get worse around your period when hormones change most. When hormones fluctuate more throughout your cycle, mood problems and hot flashes worsen.

Survey study, 2018

Do women with PMS sleep differently than women without PMS?

Yes. Women with PMS had worse sleep quality, more unrefreshing sleep, more insomnia symptoms, and lower oxygen levels during sleep. The study couldn't explain why.

Study, 2018

Does regular exercise increase hormones that help with PMS?

Yes. Regular exercise significantly increased melatonin levels, which play a role in PMS symptoms.

Survey study, 2017

Are PMS symptoms linked to mood disorders and personality?

This study found significant relationships between PMS symptoms and lifelong mania or hypomania symptoms, and between PMS and personality traits. Because it was cross-sectional, we cannot know if hormonal changes in PMS cause mood and personality changes.

Survey study, 2017

Do women with moderate PMS have more depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep problems than those with mild PMS?

Yes. Women with moderate PMS had significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, and significantly worse sleep quality compared to those with mild PMS.

Study, 2017

Do women with moderate to severe PMS have problems with attention and memory?

Yes. Women with moderate to severe PMS made more mistakes and had lower accuracy on attention and memory tests even though tests were done when they didn't have symptoms.

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.

Randomised trial, 2017

Does yoga help with PMS symptoms?

This text only gives the background and reasoning for a yoga trial. It does not include the trial's actual methods or results, so no answer about whether yoga worked can be given from this excerpt.

Survey study, 2017

Does the menstrual cycle affect heart rate variability independent of diet, activity, and sleep?

Heart rate does change across the menstrual cycle, but this change appears to be driven by differences in diet, activity, and sleep rather than by the cycle itself.

Survey study, 2016

Does PMS cause insomnia or sleep problems?

No clear link. This small study of 58 medical students found no significant association between PMS and insomnia, though some women with PMS did report sleep problems.

Study, 2016

How does sleep relate to PMS and PMDD?

The menstrual cycle affects how women sleep. Women with PMDD respond less to melatonin before their period, and sleep restriction can temporarily improve mood symptoms.

Survey study, 2016

Does PMDD cause sleep problems?

Yes. Women with PMDD have significantly worse sleep quality than those without, with 80.5% reporting poor sleep compared to 56.4% without PMDD.

Survey study, 2015

Is a CLOCK gene variant linked to irregular periods?

Yes, girls with the 3111T > C variant in the CLOCK gene had a clear increased risk of irregular menstrual cycles. This association held even after accounting for stress, anxiety, depression, and BMI.

Interview study, 2015

What are the symptoms of PMDD and how many women have it?

PMDD is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome. About 90% of women experience premenstrual symptoms, but only 4.6% to 6.4% meet criteria for PMDD, and about 5% experience severe symptoms.

Survey study, 2014

Which PMS symptoms tend to occur together?

Different PMS symptoms commonly occur together. Women who have mood symptoms like anxiety and irritability also tend to have appetite changes, depression, and sleep problems, and these associations were found to be statistically significant.

Survey study, 2014

Does the rise in progesterone during the menstrual cycle disrupt sleep?

Yes. Sleep was more disrupted when progesterone was rising sharply and when estrone levels were higher, both linked to the time after ovulation. The study was very small with only 27 women.

Study, 2014

Does Kamikihito herbal medicine help PMS and menstrual pain?

Three women with PMS, menstrual pain, and sleep problems improved when treated with Kamikihito, a Japanese herbal medicine. However, this is just three cases without comparison to other treatments, so we cannot say whether the medicine or other factors caused the improvement.

Case-control study, 2013

Does PMS change how the body controls heart rate during sleep?

Yes. Heart rate control changes at different points in the menstrual cycle, especially during the luteal phase when progesterone is high. Women with PMS show some different patterns than women without PMS.

Survey study, 2013

Do women with PMDD have sleep problems?

Yes. About a quarter have sleep disorders, and over half experience excessive daytime sleepiness.

Survey study, 2012

Do women with PMS drink alcohol differently than other women?

Women with PMS mood patterns reported higher hard alcohol use and felt less negative when drinking than women with other mood patterns. The link may relate to how hormones affect brain chemistry and alcohol's mood effects.

Case-control study, 2012

How does sleep differ during the menstrual cycle in women with PMDD?

Women with PMDD had lower melatonin and more deep sleep compared to controls. This suggests their sleep regulation may be different.

Case-control study, 2012

Do women with PMDD have different melatonin patterns than women without PMDD?

Yes. Women with PMDD had significantly lower melatonin at night and a weaker rhythm pattern, especially during the luteal phase when symptoms occur. However, this was a very small pilot study with only 5 women per group, so findings need confirmation in larger research.

Case-control study, 2012

Do women with PMS have worse sleep quality than those without?

Yes. A significantly higher percentage of women with PMS reported poor sleep quality, mainly due to sleep disturbances. The difference was statistically significant.

Study, 2011

Does bright morning light reset the body clock differently in women with PMDD?

Women with PMDD showed a weaker response to bright morning light during the luteal phase compared to women without PMDD. The difference appeared only in the luteal phase, not the follicular phase.

Review, 2010

Is the menopause transition a risky time for depression to develop?

Yes, some women are at higher risk of depression during the transition to menopause, and women with a history of severe PMS may be especially vulnerable.

Case-control study, 2010

Do women with severe PMS sleep worse and have trouble staying alert?

Women with severe PMS report more sleepiness and fatigue and perform worse on attention tasks during the premenstrual phase. However, their ability to stay awake under drowsy conditions is normal.

Survey study, 2010

Does the menstrual cycle affect sleep quality in women with sleep problems?

Yes. Women with irregular periods were 2.1 times more likely to report trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, but this study only included women who already had sleep complaints.

Survey study, 2010

Does sexual interest change across the cycle and what role do pain, sleep and hormones play?

Overall sexual interest does not change across the cycle, but women not using oral contraceptives show a slight mid-cycle increase in attraction while those using them report greater overall attraction. Pain and sleep disturbances peak during menstruation.

Study, 2010

Are women with PMDD more sensitive to how light affects sleep hormones?

The study tested whether women with PMDD respond differently to light exposure by measuring effects on melatonin, a hormone related to sleep, at different times in the menstrual cycle.

Survey study, 2010

How do hormones affect sleep and circadian rhythms across the menstrual cycle, especially in women with PMDD?

A literature review shows sleep and circadian rhythms change across the menstrual cycle in all women, but women with PMDD have more severe disruptions during the luteal phase. Non-drug treatments that help reset circadian rhythms may improve sleep and mood.

Study, 2009

Does progesterone affect how much growth hormone, prolactin, and thyroid hormone the body makes?

Yes. Growth hormone and prolactin are higher in the luteal phase when progesterone is higher, and these increases appear linked to progesterone levels.

Study, 2009

Can we predict a woman's menstrual cycle by measuring her skin temperature at night?

A device that measures skin temperature during sleep correctly predicted 71.6% of menstrual cycles tested, suggesting this could be a useful way to track periods.

Study, 2008

Can a small device measuring skin temperature during sleep predict your menstrual cycle phase?

Yes. A computer method using skin temperature measurements during sleep successfully identified menstrual cycle phases in most cases, correctly identifying phases 92.0% of the time.

Non-randomised trial, 2008

Does changing sleep timing help mood in women with PMDD?

Wake therapy improved mood in women with PMDD, but changing how early or late they slept did not work by reducing the morning melatonin hormone as researchers expected.

Survey study, 2008

Do women with severe PMS have different heart rate patterns during sleep?

Yes. Women with severe PMS have different heart patterns during sleep, particularly during their premenstrual phase when symptoms occur. They have less activity in the part of the nervous system that normally helps the body rest and recover during sleep.

Study, 2007

Could gum disease cause PMS and sleep problems?

In one case, treating a woman's gum disease with dental cleaning relieved both her PMS symptoms and sleep problems, suggesting gum disease might contribute to these symptoms in some women.

Review, 2007

Does the menstrual cycle change your body clock and sleep?

Yes. Body temperature, hormone rhythms like melatonin and cortisol, and sleep quality all shift across the cycle, with the most noticeable changes after ovulation and around menses, based on a review of past studies rather than new data.

Survey study, 2007

Are women with severe premenstrual symptoms more sleepy before their period?

Yes, women with significant emotional or behavioral premenstrual symptoms are sleepier during the late-luteal phase before their period than women with minimal symptoms. However, this sleepiness is not explained by worse nighttime sleep.

Case-control study, 2007

Do women with severe PMS have measurable sleep problems?

Women with severe PMS feel they sleep much worse before their period, but sleep measurements show similar patterns to healthy women. Some brain wave differences suggest PMS may affect sleep in subtle ways.

Review, 2006

Are sleep problems more common in women across their reproductive life?

Yes. Sleep disorders are more prevalent in women than men. Sex hormones affect sleep and mood, which may explain increased risk at different life stages.

Case-control study, 2006

Can disrupted sleep and body rhythms explain mood problems around periods, pregnancy, or after birth?

It's a promising idea but not yet proven. Women with depression at these times show a different pattern of sleep and body rhythms than healthy women, though the exact pattern differs by life stage.

Survey study, 2006

Do women with fibromyalgia have more reproductive problems and sleep problems?

Yes. Women with fibromyalgia were significantly more likely to have PMS, period pain, and sleep problems, and were less physically active and reported more sexual dysfunction.

Review, 2005

How does acute tryptophan depletion help us understand mood disorders?

Acute tryptophan depletion is a research method that temporarily lowers serotonin levels in the brain to study its role in depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and psychiatric conditions.

Survey study, 2005

Does being a morning or evening person affect premenstrual symptoms?

In university-age women, those who are evening types reported more mood swings and menstrual pain, but this pattern was not clear in younger teens. Sleep timing and cycle regularity showed some connections in certain regions.

Survey study, 2005

How does sleep affect hormone pulses during the menstrual cycle?

When women slept, their LH pulses (fertility hormone) occurred less frequently but stronger. Brief awakenings 5-15 minutes before LH pulses suggest sleep interruptions trigger hormone release. This small study (11 women) examined one cycle phase, limiting broader application of findings.

Lab study, 2005

Do sleep patterns change during different phases of the menstrual cycle?

Sleep amount and quality stay similar throughout the menstrual cycle phases. However, the timing of sleep and activity may shift slightly at different cycle phases.

Cohort study, 2005

Does progesterone in the luteal phase help women breathe better during sleep?

Yes. Upper airway resistance was lower in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase, suggesting progesterone protects breathing during sleep. However, the study was very small with only 11 women.

Survey study, 2004

How does the menstrual cycle affect sleep problems in women?

Sleep problems in women are connected to hormone changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause. Medical systems recognize premenstrual insomnia and oversleeping as sleep disorders linked to the cycle.

Non-randomised trial, 2003

Does missing one night of sleep affect how your body responds to exercise during your menstrual cycle?

No. One night without sleep did not significantly change how the body responded to exercise during either the follicular or luteal phase. The menstrual cycle phase itself also did not affect exercise responses.

Non-randomised trial, 2002

Does acetaminophen change body temperature and sleep in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle?

No. Acetaminophen had no effect on the raised body temperature or altered sleep that normally occur during the luteal phase. This suggests that painkillers that block prostaglandins are not the reason for these luteal phase changes.

Randomised trial, 2001

Do changing reproductive hormones disrupt the body's internal clock and cause mood disorders?

The authors propose that reproductive hormones may disrupt the body's internal clock in susceptible women, but this is a theory not yet proven. Women have twice the rate of depression as men.

Lab study, 2001

Does how women perceive time change with their menstrual cycle?

Yes, in healthy women, but not in women with PMS. Healthy women's internal clock seemed to run slower during the morning and during the late luteal phase, but women with PMS showed no pattern.

Survey study, 2001

Are hormone levels different in women with PMDD?

Yes. Women with PMDD had significantly lower melatonin and progesterone levels and higher prolactin levels during the late luteal phase compared to women without PMDD.

Case report, 2000

Do sleep and body temperature rhythms change with the menstrual cycle?

Yes. In this woman with PMS, her sleep rhythm shifted forward in the first half of her cycle and backward in the second half. Her body temperature rhythm showed similar changes but started a few days earlier.

Non-randomised trial, 1999

Does your menstrual cycle phase affect how alert and focused you stay during sleep deprivation?

Yes, women in the follicular phase were less alert and performed worse on thinking tasks during sleep deprivation, especially at times when body temperature naturally dips. This is a small study without a comparison group.

Survey study, 1999

Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how the body responds to stress?

Yes. Women in the luteal phase (second half of the cycle) showed higher cortisol responses to a stress test than women in the follicular phase.

Non-randomised trial, 1998

Do women with PMS have slower eye movements than women without PMS?

Yes. Women with PMS had decreased eye movement speed compared to women without PMS, particularly during the luteal phase, though the cause is unclear and hormone levels were similar in both groups.

Non-randomised trial, 1997

Do women with PMDD respond differently to bright morning light?

Yes. Women with PMDD showed a different (blunted and reversed) response to bright morning light during their symptomatic phase.

Non-randomised trial, 1997

How does body temperature change across the menstrual cycle in women with and without PMS?

Body temperature patterns shift during the luteal phase in all women. Women with PMS showed greater daily variation in these patterns, which may relate to symptom worsening.

Interview study, 1997

Is PMDD different from PMS, and what causes it?

PMDD is a more specific diagnosis than PMS. It involves low serotonin and melatonin in the brain, and antidepressant SSRIs reduce symptoms according to rigorous studies.

Cohort study, 1997

Do sleep patterns change during the menstrual cycle in women with PMS?

No. This preliminary study found no cycle-related changes in sleep patterns in women with PMS or healthy women. However, only 3 women with PMS completed the study, so we cannot be confident in this finding.

Non-randomised trial, 1996

Does fluvoxamine help premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

In this open-label study, fluvoxamine at 100 mg per day improved PMDD symptoms in 60% of women, with the biggest improvements in irritability, anxiety, and feeling out of control. Side effects were mostly mild and temporary.

Lab study, 1996

Does sleep change during different parts of the menstrual cycle?

Most aspects of sleep stay the same across the menstrual cycle in healthy women. But a specific type of brain wave pattern during sleep (sleep spindles) does vary and is highest during the luteal phase.

Review, 1995

Do PMDD symptoms follow predictable time patterns?

PMDD is mentioned as a mood condition with a monthly rhythm, though the abstract does not provide specific findings about PMDD patterns or underlying causes.

Survey study, 1995

Does working night shifts make menstrual cycle symptoms worse?

Probably yes. Nurses working night shifts showed lower alertness at the end of night shifts during the premenstrual phase. More night shifts per year was linked to worse and longer-lasting premenstrual problems.

Case report, 1995

Can sleep terrors and sleepwalking happen only before your period?

Yes. Two cases showed sleep terrors and dangerous sleepwalking that happened exclusively before menstruation. Self-hypnosis helped both, and one also took a low dose of clonazepam.

Case report, 1994

Does the menstrual cycle affect how quickly we enter REM sleep?

In one woman, sleep changed dramatically between the two halves of her menstrual cycle, particularly in how quickly she entered REM sleep.

Cohort study, 1994

Do a woman's PMS symptoms predict what symptoms she will have at menopause?

Yes. The type and severity of premenstrual symptoms significantly predict the type and severity of menopausal symptoms a woman experiences 10 years later.

Survey study, 1994

How does sleep change during the menstrual cycle?

Sleep brain wave patterns change noticeably across the cycle. A type of brain wave called spindle frequency was lowest 18 days before menstruation and highest 3 days before menstruation. This is very early evidence from only 5 women in one cycle.

Study, 1993

Does sleep change how the pituitary gland responds to hormonal signals?

Yes. When women were awake at night, their pituitary gland responded less to a hormone signal. When they were asleep at night, the response returned to normal, showing that sleep prevents the nighttime decrease.

Study, 1993

What causes late luteal phase dysphoric disorder?

It's caused by complex interactions of biological, psychological, socioeconomic, and cultural forces on the female brain and body. Understanding it requires looking at multiple perspectives together rather than one single cause.

Non-randomised trial, 1991

Does atenolol help depression that comes before periods?

No. Atenolol at 100 mg daily did not improve mood compared to placebo. This suggests that if bright light helps PMS depression, it may work through other mechanisms besides melatonin reduction.

Review, 1991

Can serotonin drugs treat PMS?

The abstract mentions that tryptophan, a serotonin precursor, has been used to self-treat PMS, but doesn't provide evidence that serotonin drugs work for PMS specifically.

Case-control study, 1990

Is melatonin released differently at night in women with premenstrual syndrome?

Yes. In this small study, women with PMS had melatonin release that switched off earlier at night and lasted a shorter time than in women without PMS, but the study was very small so this needs confirming in bigger groups.

Survey study, 1990

Are brain chemical levels different in women with PMS compared to women without PMS?

Yes. Women with PMS had higher blood levels of tryptophan and epinephrine, and different patterns of how brain chemicals changed across the menstrual cycle compared to control women, though these chemical changes didn't always match the actual presence of symptoms.

Lab study, 1990

Does sleep change during the menstrual cycle, and is this linked to mood?

Yes. The timing of deep sleep changes during the menstrual cycle, and women with premenstrual mood symptoms sleep less of a restorative type of sleep.

Case-control study, 1990

Do melatonin levels differ in women with PMS?

No, there was no significant difference in melatonin levels between women with PMS and healthy women at different phases of the menstrual cycle.

Cohort study, 1989

Do women with premenstrual depression have different sleep patterns?

Yes. Women with premenstrual depression had more light sleep and less dream sleep overall, but these patterns did not clearly worsen before their period.

Study, 1989

How does prolactin change during a full day and night across the menstrual cycle?

Prolactin goes up and down in irregular episodes throughout day and night. The pattern of these ups and downs changes depending on time of day and whether someone is asleep or awake.

Randomised trial, 1988

Does dopamine control how a hormone changes during sleep in the menstrual cycle?

No. A dopamine-blocking drug did not prevent the hormone changes that normally happen during sleep in the early menstrual cycle, so dopamine does not appear to be responsible for this effect.

Study, 1988

Do women with PMS have worse sleep problems than other women?

Yes. Women with PMS reported significantly more sleep difficulties, including bad dreams, waking at night, not waking at the expected time, morning tiredness, and racing thoughts at night and upon waking.

Randomised trial, 1987

Does a brain opioid system cause the drop in hormone pulses seen during sleep early in the cycle?

Yes, it looks that way. Blocking opioid receptors with naloxone stopped the usual sleep-related slowdown of LH hormone pulses, and even increased pulse frequency during sleep, pointing to opioids as the cause.

Case report, 1987

Can light therapy help premenstrual syndrome that only happens in fall and winter?

Yes. One woman with PMS only in fall and winter improved with bright light, worsened when light was stopped and melatonin was added, and improved again with medications that block melatonin production.

Cohort study, 1986

Is PMS mainly about symptoms worsening before your period, or is there more?

Women with PMS have higher depression, anxiety, and tension even in the early part of their cycle. Some symptoms do worsen premenstrually, but baseline mood appears to be the bigger issue.

Study, 1985

Does progesterone affect sleep or breathing during different parts of the menstrual cycle?

No clear difference. Although progesterone levels change significantly across the cycle, sleep and breathing did not change significantly with these changes in progesterone.

Case-control study, 1984

Do women with severe PMS have different hormone patterns than women without PMS?

No. There was no relationship between the hormone patterns tested and PMS symptoms. Hormone levels followed similar patterns in both groups.

Case report, 1982

Can menstruation cause extreme sleepiness?

One 16-year-old girl experienced 1 to 2 weeks of extreme sleepiness linked to her menstrual cycle. The sleepiness completely stopped when she took a birth control pill that prevented ovulation.

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.

Survey study, 1976

Does sleep affect luteinizing hormone levels?

In this small study, luteinizing hormone levels decreased during sleep. When sleep timing was reversed to daytime, the hormone still decreased during sleep in the same pattern.

Survey study, 1975

Does menstruation cause extreme sleepiness?

One girl had severe sleepiness linked to her periods, sleeping about 14 hours a day during episodes. The cause is unclear, but hormones may play a role.

Survey study, 1975

How do brain chemicals change during the menstrual cycle?

Yes, brain chemicals change during the menstrual cycle in specific ways. One chemical involved in mood is lower during ovulation than before the period, and another is 20% lower before the period than at other times.

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