--- title: Are menstrual cycle symptoms related to sleep problems and mental health in female athletes? description: Yes. Women with more menstrual symptoms reported more depression, anxiety, stress problems, and sleep issues. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-prevalence-of-menstrual-cycle-symptoms-and-their-association-with-mental-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Are menstrual cycle symptoms related to sleep problems and mental health in female athletes? Survey study, 2024 # Are menstrual cycle symptoms related to sleep problems and mental health in female athletes? Yes. Women with more menstrual symptoms reported more depression, anxiety, stress problems, and sleep issues. Moderate study design 322 German women athletes and exercisers, average age 23 years ## What they did 322 German women athletes and exercisers (average age 23 years) completed surveys about menstrual symptoms, mood, anxiety, stress, and sleep quality. Researchers analyzed whether these were linked. ## What they found More menstrual symptoms were strongly linked to more depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep problems. The most common menstrual symptoms were cravings, mood changes, and tiredness. No difference was found between individual sport and team sport athletes. ## What it means for you Menstrual symptoms are very common in female athletes and connected to mental health and sleep. Coaches and athletes should consider the menstrual cycle in training and support. The study was observational so we cannot say symptoms cause these problems; they may be connected through other factors. 322 Women in study 23.13 Average age in years ## About the study Original title The prevalence of menstrual cycle symptoms and their association with mental health and sleep in German exercising women and athletes Authors Kullik L, Stork M, Kiel A et al. Journal Journal of science and medicine in sport Year 2024 Study design Survey study Participants 322 What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2024.02.008](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2024.02.008) Original abstract Objectives: Menstrual cycle symptoms are very common in female athletes. However, more evidence about the association between menstrual cycle characteristics and symptoms with sleep and mental health in athletes needs to be gathered. This study aimed to examine this association in German exercising women and athletes. Design: 322 women (mean age: 23.13 ± 4.36) participated in a cross-sectional study. The survey included the Menstrual Symptom index (MSi), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Athletes Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ). Additionally, demographic, sport-specific data and further menstrual cycle characteristics were examined. Multiple regression models were used for the statistical analyses. Results: The MSi score demonstrated a highly significant (p < 0.001) positive association with Depression, Anxiety, Stress, PSQI, and ASBQ. The most prevalent menstrual cycle symptoms were cravings/increased appetite, mood changes/anxiety, and tiredness/fatigue. A difference between individual and team sport athletes could not be found. Moreover, there was no association between the constructs and menses length, irregularity, or heaviness of bleeding. Conclusions: Menstrual cycle symptoms occur very frequently in female athletes. In this study, they were related to mental health, sleep quality, and sleep behavior, regardless of the cycle phase. This evidence demonstrates the relevance of considering the menstrual cycle and menstrual symptoms in future studies with female athletes and in sport practice. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Fatigue and energy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-fatigue/)[Appetite and food cravings](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-food-cravings/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Athletes and sport](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-athletes/) 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 Survey study, 2022 What factors are associated with irregular menstrual cycles and how do irregular cycles affect other symptoms? Study, 2022 Does having COVID-19 affect premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Survey study, 2024 What premenstrual symptoms do martial arts athletes experience? Cohort study, 2024 How does sleep change across your menstrual cycle? Randomised trial, 2018 Does swimming reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Survey study, 2016 Do hormonal contraceptives reduce PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗