Case report, 1982
Can menstruation cause extreme sleepiness?
One 16-year-old girl experienced 1 to 2 weeks of extreme sleepiness linked to her menstrual cycle. The sleepiness completely stopped when she took a birth control pill that prevented ovulation.
What they did
Doctors studied one 16-year-old girl who experienced extreme sleepiness around her menstruation. They measured hormone levels in her blood and certain brain chemicals. They checked whether the sleepiness occurred during all periods or only certain ones. Then they treated her with a birth control pill containing ethinylestradiol and lynestrenol.
What they found
Her hormone levels were normal. Certain brain chemicals were lower in her spinal fluid during sleep periods than during periods when she was awake normally. The extreme sleepiness occurred only during menstrual cycles with ovulation. When she took the birth control pill, ovulation stopped and the sleepiness ceased completely.
What it means for you
In this one case, extreme sleepiness during menstruation was linked to ovulation and lower levels of certain brain chemicals. This suggests that for some women, extreme sleepiness during the menstrual cycle might be preventable with an ovulation-blocking birth control pill. The main limit is this describes one person's experience, so we do not know if this would work for other women.
16
years old
1 to 2
weeks of sleepiness per menstrual cycle
About the study
- Original title
- Menstruation-related periodic hypersomnia: a case study with successful treatment
- Authors
- Sachs C, Persson HE, Hagenfeldt K
- Journal
- Neurology
- Year
- 1982
- Study design
- Case report
- What was tested
- Birth control pill containing ethinylestradiol and lynestrenol
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1212/wnl.32.12.1376
Topics
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