Study Reveals Why It's Hard To Sleep Around Your Periods & How To Fix It

A new study published in the Endocrine Society found it's likely for women's sleep to be disrupted during the days before the start of their period. This is big news as sleep is arguably one of the most critical aspects of our health, and most of us are already not getting enough of it.

Researchers tracked women's sleep quality a few days before their period, called the late luteal phase, and for the days following the first day of menstruation, the early follicular phase. They found that in the days leading up to the period, women woke up more frequently after falling asleep and spent more time lying in bed awake. This is no fun, and it turns out could be made even worse when combined with a particular diet.

The study took things a step further and looked at how different diets could affect sleep during these two phases. They compared two diets: one with balanced caloric intake, meaning the same amount of energy in as out, and the other with 55 percent fewer calories. They discovered that women had even worse sleep quality during these phases when eating a calorie-restricted diet. Depending on your typical diet around your cycle, this could be exactly the news you were looking for.

This could mean giving your body a few extra minutes to wind down before heading to sleep, trying out some hormone-balancing foods or essential oils, incorporating a magnesium supplement into your nighttime routine, and avoiding a calorie-restricted diet in the days before and right after the first day of your period if you're on one. We hope these tips help you get more zzz's even around the time of your cycle!