--- title: Do health habits like exercise and sleep affect PMS and period pain? description: Yes. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and an active sex life reduced dysmenorrhea and PMS symptoms, while oversleeping, poor diet, and low activity increased url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/dysmenorrhea-and-premenstrual-syndrome-in-association-with-health-habits-in-the-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do health habits like exercise and sleep affect PMS and period pain? 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. Moderate study design 1,679 adult women aged 18 or older in Mexico ## What they did Cross-sectional study of 1,679 women aged 18 or older in Mexico who completed a validated survey about dysmenorrhea, PMS symptoms, and health habits (physical activity, sleep, diet, sexual activity). ## What they found Physical activity duration, adequate sleep hours, and active sexual life predicted lower dysmenorrhea and PMS. Oversleeping, low physical activity, and eating more salty or sugary foods during menstruation predicted higher dysmenorrhea and PMS. ## What it means for you The study shows associations between health habits and symptoms, but can't prove that changing habits will improve symptoms in a specific woman because it's observational. Results are from Mexico, so they may not apply to all populations. These findings warrant investigation through proper clinical trials. 1,679 Women surveyed in Mexico ≥18 years Minimum age of participants ## About the study Original title Dysmenorrhea and Premenstrual Syndrome in Association with Health Habits in the Mexican Population: A Cross-Sectional Study Authors Alatorre-Cruz JM, Alatorre-Cruz GC, Marín-Cevada V et al. Journal Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Year 2024 Study design Survey study Participants 1,679 What was tested Health habits (physical activity, sleep, diet, sexual activity) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12212174](https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12212174) Original abstract Background: Dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) are common disorders in the Mexican population, but these are usually underdiagnosed and under-treated, impacting women's quality of life. Adequate health habits have been reported as precursors of decreasing dysmenorrhea symptoms. However, few studies assess their impact on PMS. Aim: This study aims to evaluate dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome in association with health habits in the Mexican population. Methods: To assess the impact of health habits on menstruation symptoms a validated survey was conducted in 1679 adult females aged ≥18 years. The survey collected data on participants' dysmenorrhea, PMS, and their health habits. Results: The analysis showed that physical activity duration, changes in eating habits (increases in salty or sugary foods) during menstruation, and oversleeping habits predict increases in dysmenorrhea and PMS. In contrast, an active sexual life, relaxing physical activity, and adequate sleep hours during menstruation seem to decrease the symptoms. Conclusions: We conclude that adequate health habits and addressing early gynecological conditions might regulate dysmenorrhea and PMS. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Cohort study, 2026 Do sleep, exercise, and diet quality affect period pain, heavy bleeding, and PMS in midlife? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Survey study, 2026 How common is PMS in female medical students and what helps? Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Randomised trial, 2025 Does exercise reduce menstrual symptoms and sleep problems? Systematic review, 2024 Does yoga help reduce PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗