Non-randomised trial, 2014
Does the menstrual cycle phase change how one night of poor sleep affects the stress hormone cortisol?
Yes, one night of sleep restriction raised cortisol responses in women in the follicular phase, but not in women in the luteal phase, so cycle timing seems to matter.
What they did
18 healthy young women (average age about 21.8) who were not on the pill were studied at either the mid-follicular or mid-luteal phase of their cycle. Each woman had a normal 10-hour sleep night, then a night with only 3 hours of sleep. Saliva samples were taken at six times each day on both days to measure cortisol.
What they found
Women tested in the follicular phase showed a significant drop in their morning cortisol awakening response (p=0.004) and a lasting rise in afternoon and evening cortisol (p=0.008) after the short-sleep night. Women tested in the luteal phase showed neither of these changes.
What it means for you
The menstrual cycle phase seems to change how the body's main stress hormone reacts to a bad night's sleep, which could matter for mood and metabolism. The study was small (18 women), looked at only one night of sleep loss, and did not directly measure PMS or PMDD symptoms, so more research is needed to know what this means for period-related symptoms.
18
women studied
p=0.004
cortisol awakening response drop (follicular phase)
p=0.008
afternoon/evening cortisol rise (follicular phase)
About the study
- Original title
- Impact of menstrual cycle phase on endocrine effects of partial sleep restriction in healthy women
- Authors
- LeRoux A, Wright L, Perrot T et al.
- Journal
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Year
- 2014
- Study design
- Non-randomised trial
- What was tested
- One night of sleep restricted to 3 hours, compared between women tested in the follicular phase and the luteal phase
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.06.002
Topics
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