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Survey study, 2018

Do women with PMS sleep differently than women without PMS?

Yes. Women with PMS had worse sleep quality, more unrefreshing sleep, more insomnia symptoms, and lower oxygen levels during sleep. The study couldn't explain why.

Early or limited evidence 230 Brazilian women, 72.6% with PMS

What they did

Cross-sectional study of 230 Brazilian women from an epidemiologic survey. Researchers asked about sleep quality using questionnaires and measured actual sleep with polysomnography. PMS was identified by one question.

What they found

72.6% of women reported PMS. The PMS group had poorer sleep quality, higher perception of unrefreshing sleep, and more subthreshold insomnia. They had increased total sleep time on polysomnography but lower oxygen saturation.

What it means for you

PMS is connected to sleep problems. However, the study used only a single question to identify PMS, which is not a complete assessment. We don't know if PMS causes sleep problems or sleep problems cause PMS.

230

Women studied

72.6%

Reported PMS

About the study

Original title
Premenstrual syndrome and sleep disturbances: Results from the Sao Paulo Epidemiologic Sleep Study
Authors
Nicolau ZFM, Bezerra AG, Polesel DN et al.
Journal
Psychiatry research
Year
2018
Study design
Survey study
Participants
230
What was tested
None

Topics