Sleep: You're Doing It Wrong, But We Can Help

According to Dr. Donna Arand, clinical director of the Kettering Sleep Disorders Center and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, when the balance of estrogen and progesterone in your body fluctuates (like during your period, or when you enter menopause), it can affect how well you sleep.
"When progesterone is low, you might experience insomina because progesterone is also used as a precursor to chemicals that induce sleep, like serotonin," she says. "That just means there are fewer materials to generate the sleep hormone. You may find you have more difficulty falling asleep just before and during your period, when progesterone is at its lowest levels, and that you can fall asleep much more easily just after, when it is at its highest." Just as not every woman's cycle is the same, Dr, Arand says that these levels may not impact every woman in the same way — some women don't see any issues related to their cycles. It's just the luck (or misfortune) of the draw.

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