---
title: Do women with PMS or PMDD have disrupted body clocks and sleep?
description: 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
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/biological-rhythms-in-premenstrual-syndrome-and-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-2024/
---

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

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.

 Moderate study design

Women with PMS or PMDD, across 25 combined studies

## What they did

Researchers systematically searched four databases (Pubmed, Embase, Medline, Web of Science) in December 2021, found 575 articles, and after removing irrelevant ones and hand-searching references, included 25 studies looking at biological rhythms (like sleep, body temperature, melatonin, cortisol) in women with PMS/PMDD.

## What they found

Women with PMS/PMDD showed lower melatonin levels, higher nighttime core body temperature, and worse subjective sleep quality than women without PMS/PMDD. Wrist actimetry (movement tracking) showed no differences between groups. Results for objective sleep measures, cortisol, prolactin, and thyroid stimulating hormone were conflicting across studies.

## What it means for you

This points to some real differences in body rhythms linked to PMS/PMDD, especially around melatonin, temperature, and felt sleep quality, but because results for other measures are inconsistent, no firm conclusions can be drawn yet. More and better research is needed.

575

articles found in initial search

25

studies included in the review

## About the study

Original title Biological rhythms in premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a systematic review Authors Nexha A, Caropreso L, de Azevedo Cardoso T et al. Journal BMC women's health Year 2024 Study design Systematic review Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03395-3](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03395-3)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Thyroid disorders](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-thyroid/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/)

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## Related studies

Study, 2026

What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

Cohort study, 2026

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

Survey study, 2023

Is PMDD diagnosis associated with more severe depression and anxiety and lower well-being?

Survey study, 2023

What factors make PMS worse in college students?

Interview study, 2022

Can a new 33-item questionnaire reliably measure premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) symptoms?

Cohort study, 2021

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

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