--- title: Does changing sleep timing help mood in women with PMDD? | Niyora description: Wake therapy improved mood in women with PMDD, but changing how early or late they slept did not work by reducing the morning melatonin hormone as researchers url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/late-but-not-early-wake-therapy-reduces-morning-plasma-melatonin-relationship-to-2008/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does changing sleep timing help mood in women with PMDD? Non-randomised trial, 2008 # Does changing sleep timing help mood in women with PMDD? Wake therapy improved mood in women with PMDD, but changing how early or late they slept did not work by reducing the morning melatonin hormone as researchers expected. Early or limited evidence 19 women with PMDD and 18 control women ## What they did Researchers measured melatonin hormone levels every 30 minutes in 19 women with PMDD and 18 control women during different phases of their menstrual cycle. They tested two sleep schedules during the symptomatic phase: very early wake (sleep 3am-7am) versus late wake (sleep 9pm-1am). ## What they found Late wake therapy (sleeping 9pm-1am) changed the melatonin hormone pattern while early wake therapy (sleeping 3am-7am) did not. Both types improved mood equally. Later morning melatonin in women with PMDD was linked to worse mood, and longer melatonin duration predicted better mood improvement after late wake therapy. ## What it means for you Wake therapy helps PMDD mood, but the benefit does not come from reducing morning melatonin as researchers thought. The mood improvement must work through a different pathway. The study was small, measured only two cycle phases, and did not have a true placebo control, so the findings are preliminary. 19 Women with PMDD studied 18 Control women studied every 30 min Melatonin measurement frequency ## About the study Original title Late, but not early, wake therapy reduces morning plasma melatonin: relationship to mood in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Authors Parry BL, Meliska CJ, Martínez LF et al. Journal Psychiatry research Year 2008 Study design Non-randomised trial What was tested Early wake therapy (sleep 3am-7am) vs late wake therapy (sleep 9pm-1am) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2007.11.017](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2007.11.017) ## 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/)[Light therapy and sleep deprivation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-light-therapy/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/) 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 Study, 2010 Are women with PMDD more sensitive to how light affects sleep hormones? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Survey study, 2025 Are premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms, stress, and sleep quality linked in female nursing students? Randomised trial, 2023 Does a one-week sleep and light intervention help PMDD mood symptoms? Systematic review, 2022 Does having PMDD increase the risk of depression during pregnancy or after birth? Survey study, 2019 What lifestyle and sleep habits are linked to PMS in teenage girls? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗