---
title: Do women with premenstrual depression have different sleep patterns?
description: Yes. Women with premenstrual depression had more light sleep and less dream sleep overall, but these patterns did not clearly worsen before their period.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/longitudinal-sleep-eeg-temperature-and-activity-measurements-across-the-1989/
---

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- Do women with premenstrual depression have different sleep patterns?

Cohort study, 1989

# Do women with premenstrual depression have different sleep patterns?

Yes. Women with premenstrual depression had more light sleep and less dream sleep overall, but these patterns did not clearly worsen before their period.

 Early or limited evidence

8 women with moderate to severe premenstrual depression and 8 age-matched healthy women

## What they did

8 women with moderate to severe premenstrual depression and 8 matched control women had brain wave recordings (EEG) while sleeping 2 nights per week throughout one menstrual cycle. Body temperature and movement were also measured.

## What they found

Women with depression had significantly more Stage 2 sleep and less REM (dream) sleep than controls. Stage 3 sleep and the number of times women woke during the night varied with menstrual cycle phases. Body temperature was earlier in women with depression but this was not statistically significant. Activity did not change with the cycle.

## What it means for you

Women with premenstrual depression may have different baseline sleep quality, but this does not clearly worsen before their period. The sample was extremely small with high differences between women, making it hard to detect real cycle effects.

8

women with depression

8

control women

2

nights per week monitored

## About the study

Original title Longitudinal sleep EEG, temperature, and activity measurements across the menstrual cycle in patients with premenstrual depression and in age-matched controls Authors Parry BL, Mendelson WB, Duncan WC et al. Journal Psychiatry research Year 1989 Study design Cohort study What was tested None. Sleep was monitored during one menstrual cycle. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/0165-1781(89)90020-6](https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-1781(89)90020-6)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)

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Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

## Related studies

Randomised trial, 2001

Do changing reproductive hormones disrupt the body's internal clock and cause mood disorders?

Lab study, 2018

How does depression affect menstrual function and fertility in women?

Review, 2012

Is depression linked to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause?

Review, 2011

Can estrogen hormones treat depression linked to the menstrual cycle?

Survey study, 2009

Can estrogen therapy help depression that worsens during hormonal cycle changes?

Case-control study, 2006

Are hormone-related chemicals different in women with mood disorders during the menstrual cycle?

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