--- title: Does a warm footbath help PMS symptoms and sleep quality? | Niyora description: A nightly warm footbath during the premenstrual phase reduced PMS symptoms and improved quality of life in women with PMS. It did not improve sleep quality. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-effect-of-footbath-on-premenstrual-syndrome-sleep-quality-and-quality-of-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does a warm footbath help PMS symptoms and sleep quality? Randomised trial, 2026 # Does a warm footbath help PMS symptoms and sleep quality? A nightly warm footbath during the premenstrual phase reduced PMS symptoms and improved quality of life in women with PMS. It did not improve sleep quality. Strong study design 78 university students with PMS in Turkey (39 intervention, 39 control) ## What they did A randomized controlled trial with 78 university students in Turkey. 39 were assigned to nightly footbaths with water at 38 to 42 degrees Celsius for 7 to 10 days during the premenstrual phase for three menstrual cycles, and 39 were controls with no intervention. PMS symptoms, sleep quality, and quality of life were measured before and after each cycle. ## What they found The footbath group showed statistically significant improvements in PMS scores and subscales including depressive mood, anxiety, fatigue, irritability, depressive thoughts, pain, and sleep changes compared to control (P < 0.05). Quality of life improved significantly in bodily pain, energy, emotional role, and mental health subscales. Sleep quality did not show statistically significant improvement compared to control. ## What it means for you Warm footbaths may be a simple, low-cost way to reduce PMS symptoms and improve quality of life, though they do not appear to improve sleep. The study was limited to one university in Turkey during one academic year. 78 students total 38-42 degrees Celsius water temperature 7-10 days per cycle ## About the study Original title The Effect of Footbath on Premenstrual Syndrome, Sleep Quality, and Quality of Life in University Students with Premenstrual Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial Authors Yücesoy H, Erbil N Journal Journal of integrative and complementary medicine Year 2026 Study design Randomised trial Participants 39 What was tested Nightly warm footbath at 38 to 42 degrees Celsius for 7 to 10 days during premenstrual phase, 3 cycles Read the paper [doi.org/10.1177/27683605251392784](https://doi.org/10.1177/27683605251392784) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) 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 Randomised trial, 2026 Does Kundalini Reiki help reduce PMS symptoms and improve quality of life? Lab study, 2026 Do core stability exercises help women with PMDD? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Cohort study, 2025 What causes migraine in female college students who have PMS? Survey study, 2023 What factors make PMS worse in college students? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗