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.
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
Topics
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