Lab study, 1990
Does sleep change during the menstrual cycle, and is this linked to mood?
Yes. The timing of deep sleep changes during the menstrual cycle, and women with premenstrual mood symptoms sleep less of a restorative type of sleep.
What they did
They monitored sleep in healthy women during two different phases of their menstrual cycle (before and after ovulation).
What they found
The time from falling asleep to the first period of vivid dreaming (REM sleep) was significantly shorter during the premenstrual phase compared to before ovulation. There was no difference in time taken to fall asleep or the percentage of night spent in vivid dreaming. However, women with negative mood symptoms during their premenstruum had significantly less deep sleep (delta sleep) compared to women without mood symptoms, and this was true in both phases of their cycle.
What it means for you
Sleep organisation changes during the menstrual cycle, particularly the timing of vivid dreaming. Women with premenstrual mood symptoms may have less of a restorative sleep stage. The study describes what happens to sleep but does not test any treatments. The number of women studied is not stated in the abstract.
About the study
- Original title
- Sleep patterns related to menstrual cycle phase and premenstrual affective symptoms
- Authors
- Lee KA, Shaver JF, Giblin EC et al.
- Journal
- Sleep
- Year
- 1990
- Study design
- Lab study
- What was tested
- None; observation and sleep monitoring.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1093/sleep/13.5.403
Topics
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