---
title: Does melatonin help sleep and mood in women with PMDD? | Niyora
description: 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 circadi
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effects-of-exogenous-melatonin-on-sleep-and-circadian-rhythms-in-women-with-2021/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Does melatonin help sleep and mood in women with PMDD?

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.

 Early or limited evidence

5 women with PMDD (selected from a previous research study)

## What they did

Five women with PMDD took 2 mg of slow-release melatonin one hour before bed during their luteal phase (the second half of the cycle) for three menstrual cycles. They had overnight sleep studies and 24-hour hormone monitoring at baseline and during the third cycle of melatonin.

## What they found

With melatonin treatment: urine melatonin markers increased (p < 0.001), sleep onset was faster (p = 0.01), and slow-wave sleep decreased (p < 0.001) while lighter Stage 2 sleep increased (p < 0.001). Mood improved on a visual scale (p = 0.02) and overall symptom burden improved (p < 0.001). Circadian rhythms were mostly unchanged.

## What it means for you

Melatonin may help mood and speed up falling asleep in PMDD. The finding that it reduced slow-wave sleep is unexpected and needs explanation. The main limitation is the very small sample size (only 5 women), so results may not apply broadly.

2 mg

Melatonin dose

3

Number of menstrual cycles of treatment

5

Number of participants

## About the study

Original title Effects of exogenous melatonin on sleep and circadian rhythms in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder Authors Moderie C, Boudreau P, Shechter A et al. Journal Sleep Year 2021 Study design Cohort study What was tested 2 mg slow-release melatonin taken one hour before bed during the luteal phase for three menstrual cycles Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsab171](https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsab171)

## 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/)[Cognitive behavioral therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-cbt/)

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

Review, 2024

Can sulpiride help women with both PMDD and IBS?

Review, 2024

What do brain wave patterns show about PMS and PMDD?

Review, 2024

What are the most effective treatments for PMDD?

Randomised trial, 2019

Does online cognitive behavioral therapy help women with PMDD?

Review, 2018

What are the most effective treatments for premenstrual syndrome and PMDD?

Review, 2017

What causes PMDD and what are the best treatments?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗