--- title: Does the menstrual cycle or birth control affect sleep and memory? description: All women improved their memory overnight. Women on birth control and in the luteal phase had more of a certain type of sleep brain wave compared to women in url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/impact-of-menstrual-cycle-phase-and-oral-contraceptives-on-sleep-and-overnight-2021/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the menstrual cycle or birth control affect sleep and memory? Survey study, 2021 # Does the menstrual cycle or birth control affect sleep and memory? All women improved their memory overnight. Women on birth control and in the luteal phase had more of a certain type of sleep brain wave compared to women in the follicular phase, and this brain wave was linked to higher progesterone levels. Early or limited evidence Healthy women ages 21-23, some on birth control and some with natural cycles ## What they did Researchers compared 19 women on birth control pills, 16 women in their follicular phase (first half of cycle), and 27 women in their luteal phase (second half of cycle). Participants had their sleep monitored, progesterone measured from saliva, and memory tested with a word-pairing task before and after sleep. ## What they found Memory improved overnight in all women. Women on birth control and women in the luteal phase showed more of a particular type of sleep brain wave compared to women in the follicular phase. In women in the luteal phase, progesterone levels were linked to more of this brain wave. ## What it means for you The menstrual cycle and birth control hormones may affect the type of sleep brain wave that helps memory. The study only monitored one night of sleep and had a small sample size, so more research is needed to understand how this works over time. 19 women on birth control 27 women in luteal phase 16 women in follicular phase ## About the study Original title Impact of menstrual cycle phase and oral contraceptives on sleep and overnight memory consolidation Authors Plamberger CP, Van Wijk HE, Kerschbaum H et al. Journal Journal of sleep research Year 2021 Study design Survey study Participants 27 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13239](https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13239) Original abstract Sleep spindles benefit declarative memory consolidation and are considered to be a biological marker for general cognitive abilities. However, the impact of sexual hormones and hormonal oral contraceptives (OCs) on these relationships are less clear. Thus, we here investigated the influence of endogenous progesterone levels of naturally cycling women and women using OCs on nocturnal sleep and overnight memory consolidation. Nineteen healthy women using OCs (M Age = 21.4, SD = 2.1 years) were compared to 43 healthy women with a natural menstrual cycle (follicular phase: n = 16, M Age = 21.4, SD = 3.1 years; luteal phase: n = 27, M Age = 22.5, SD = 3.6 years). Sleep spindle density and salivary progesterone were measured during an adaptation and an experimental night. A word pair association task preceding the experimental night followed by two recalls (pre-sleep and post-sleep) was performed to test declarative memory performance. We found that memory performance improved overnight in all women. Interestingly, women using OCs (characterized by a low endogenous progesterone level but with very potent synthetic progestins) and naturally cycling women during the luteal phase (characterized by a high endogenous progesterone level) had a higher fast sleep spindle density compared to naturally cycling women during the follicular phase (characterized by a low endogenous progesterone level). Furthermore, we observed a positive correlation between endogenous progesterone level and fast spindle density in women during the luteal phase. Results suggest that the use of OCs and the menstrual cycle phase affects sleep spindles and therefore should be considered in further studies investigating sleep spindles and cognitive performance. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/) 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 Non-randomised trial, 1999 Does your menstrual cycle phase affect how alert and focused you stay during sleep deprivation? Cohort study, 2026 Does sleeping longer improve mood and fitness in elite athletes? Systematic review, 2022 Do athletes' feelings and performance change across the menstrual cycle? Review, 2015 What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated? 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