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.
What they did
17 healthy young women ate a normal diet and then a diet with 55% fewer calories in the early follicular phase of two menstrual cycles. Sleep was measured by actigraphy each night. Urine and blood hormones were tested daily and on day 5.
What they found
Eating fewer calories and menstrual cycle phase each independently disrupted sleep, with the worst sleep in the late luteal phase. Sleep efficiency was lower and women woke more often and for longer when eating less. Higher levels of the hormones progesterone and estrogen were also linked to worse sleep. Orexin (a hormone that promotes wakefulness) was higher and linked to more broken sleep.
What it means for you
Short-term calorie restriction disrupts sleep in young women, and this is worse during the luteal phase when hormones are higher. The study was small and only followed women for two cycles, so results may not apply to longer dieting or to other age groups.
17
healthy women
23.6 years
mean age
-55%
energy availability reduction
About the study
- Original title
- Caloric Restriction, the Menstrual Cycle, and Sleep in Women Without Obesity
- Authors
- Kim AE, Shekhar S, Hirsch KR et al.
- Journal
- The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- 55% calorie restriction vs normal eating
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgaf145
Topics
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