Survey study, 2026
How do pain, sleep quality, and appetite change across the menstrual cycle?
Appetite increases significantly before and during the period. Pain can disrupt sleep, especially during menstruation. Single women report much worse sleep and pain during their period than married women do.
What they did
Researchers asked 250 women aged 19-40 to report pain, sleep quality, and food intake at three points in their menstrual cycle: before the period, during the period, and after the period.
What they found
Appetite increased in 55.6% during the premenstrual phase, 45.6% during the menstrual phase, and 16% during the postmenstrual phase. Single women had significantly lower sleep quality and higher pain during menstruation compared to married women. Menstrual cycle length and duration significantly affected both pain and sleep scores. Energy, carbohydrate, and fiber intake were higher during the premenstrual phase.
What it means for you
Food intake and appetite naturally increase across the cycle, especially before and during your period. Menstrual pain may disrupt sleep. This is a correlation study, so we do not know whether pain causes poor sleep or poor sleep causes pain. Differences by relationship status may reflect other life factors.
250
women studied
55.6%
appetite increase premenstrual
45.6%
appetite increase menstrual
About the study
- Original title
- The Relationship between Pain, Sleep, and Nutrition During the Premenstrual, Menstrual, and Postmenstrual Phases in Women of Reproductive Age
- Authors
- Emine Elibol, Betül Orhan, İremnur Özaslan
- Journal
- İstanbul Gelişim Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 250
- What was tested
- None
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.38079/igusabder.1641618
Topics
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