--- title: Does painful periods affect sleep? | Niyora description: 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 url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/dysmenorrhea-the-menstrual-cycle-and-sleep-2014/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does painful periods affect sleep? 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. Moderate study design 89 women aged 18-24 ## What they did 89 young women completed daily sleep surveys for 5 weeks. On the second day of their period, they answered questions about how severe their period pain was and whether it interfered with daily activities. ## What they found Women who had insomnia reported more severe period pain and greater interference with daily life. Compared to women with mild period pain, those with severe pain took longer to fall asleep and had lower sleep quality. Sleep was at its best around the time of ovulation. ## What it means for you Period pain and sleep problems are related, though we don't know if treating one would improve the other. The women studied were young (18 to 24), so these findings may not apply to all ages. 89 women in study 18-24 age range 5 weeks duration of daily surveys ## About the study Original title Dysmenorrhea, the menstrual cycle, and sleep Authors Woosley JA, Lichstein KL Journal Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.) Year 2014 Study design Survey study Participants 89 What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/08964289.2013.829020](https://doi.org/10.1080/08964289.2013.829020) ## Topics [Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/) 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? Randomised trial, 2025 Does exercise reduce menstrual symptoms and sleep problems? Cohort study, 2024 Does psychological distress in adolescence predict menstrual symptoms in adulthood? Cohort study, 2024 Is there a link between sleep and menstrual problems in teenage girls? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Survey study, 2026 Does fear of childbirth explain why women with PMS are more likely to develop postpartum depression? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗