{"id":1009222,"date":"2026-11-05T23:56:42","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T23:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ouraring.wpengine.com\/?p=1009222"},"modified":"2026-11-05T23:56:42","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T23:56:42","slug":"womens-sleep-across-life-stages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ouraring.wpengine.com\/womens-sleep-across-life-stages\/","title":{"rendered":"How Women\u2019s Sleep Changes Across Life Stages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sleep<\/span><\/a> plays a huge role in cardiovascular, metabolic, and brain health, yet research focused specifically on women\u2019s sleep is relatively recent.<\/span><\/p>\n

For decades,<\/span> women’s health research<\/span><\/a> focused largely on the reproductive system, while studies of nearly everything else, including sleep, were <\/span>mostly done on men<\/span><\/a>. The NIH didn’t require the clinical studies it funds to include women until 1993.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sleep scientists<\/span><\/a> now recognize that women\u2019s sleep is affected by<\/span> biological differences in sleep<\/span><\/a> architecture, hormonal shifts across the lifespan, and social and cultural factors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

LEARN MORE: <\/span><\/i>Male and Female Sleep Patterns: How Do They Differ, and Why?<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Understanding Women\u2019s Sleep Through Life Stages<\/b><\/h2>\n

From the first period (menarche) through pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and postmenopause, hormonal transitions affect women’s sleep. These changes can influence how easily you fall asleep, how your body regulates temperature overnight, and even how open your airway stays while you rest. Sleep medicine has been slow to account for these differences. A<\/span> 2024 study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine<\/span><\/a> found that the criteria for diagnosing sleep-disordered breathing were historically based on male physiology, which is one reason obstructive sleep apnea often goes unrecognized in women.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. How May Your Menstrual Cycle Affect Sleep?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Women experience <\/span>monthly variations in hormones<\/span><\/a> that may influence sleep. Estrogen, which rises through the first half of your cycle and peaks just before ovulation, may <\/span>protect against sleep-disordered breathing<\/span><\/a>. While in the luteal phase, progesterone rises, which has been<\/span> linked to more nighttime waking and poorer sleep<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

For most women with regular cycles, these shifts, when they are present, are subtle. Overall sleep stays fairly consistent from week to week. Women with severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or painful cramps are<\/span> more likely to report sleeping poorly<\/span><\/a> in the days leading up to and during their period. Some gynecological conditions, including endometriosis and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS, previously called PCOS), can also disrupt hormone patterns and <\/span>sleep<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Member Tip: <\/b>Use Cycle Insights to compare your Sleep Score across two or three cycles and add Tags for symptoms like cramps or bloating. Over time, you may notice where your more restless nights tend to fall.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

READ MORE: <\/span><\/i>Oura Cycle Insights<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

2. How Can Pregnancy and Postpartum Affect Sleep?<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"Woman<\/p>\n

If you’ve been pregnant, you may remember how hard it was to get comfortable at <\/span>night, between a growing belly and the middle-of-the-night trips to the bathroom. The changes in sleep go beyond this physical discomfort. In a<\/span> meta-analysis of more than 15,000 pregnant women<\/span><\/a>, 38% reported insomnia symptoms, rising to nearly 40% in the third trimester.<\/span><\/p>\n

Changes in sleep during pregnancy can affect the health of the pregnancy, too.\u00a0<\/span>In the NIH-funded\u00a0nuMoM2b study<\/span><\/a> of more than 10,000 first-time pregnant women, those whose sleep shifted later, with the midpoint of their night falling after 5 a.m., had<\/span> higher odds of developing gestational diabetes<\/span><\/a>. One study also found an <\/span>association<\/span><\/a> between <\/span>breathing<\/span><\/a> disturbances at night and medical conditions in pregnancy, such as <\/span>gestational<\/span><\/a> DM and gestational HTN.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany women just assume that their poor sleep and feeling tired is because they are pregnant,\u201d says Dr. Chris Curry. \u201cHowever, these symptoms may also be related to u<\/span>ndiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea<\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In the first three months after birth, mothers reported<\/span> sleeping about an hour less per night<\/span><\/a> than they did before pregnancy. Even when their first child was 4 to 6 years old, mothers were still sleeping about 20 minutes less than before pregnancy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/span><\/i> Sleep 101 for New Parents<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Member Tip:<\/b> If you’re pregnant,<\/span> Oura\u2019s Pregnancy Insights<\/span><\/a> lets you follow your nighttime temperature, resting heart rate, HRV, and respiratory rate throughout pregnancy. You can also look at trends in sleep and print out your sleep data to share with your doctor or midwife to support conversations about good sleep habits.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

3. How Do Perimenopause and Postmenopause Affect Sleep?<\/b><\/h3>\n

For many women, sleep becomes harder through the<\/span> menopause<\/span><\/a> transition. In the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), which surveyed more than 12,000 midlife women,<\/span> 45% of those in late perimenopause<\/span><\/a> reported difficulty sleeping, among the highest rates of any group.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a study of more than <\/span>3,000 midlife women, declining estrogen levels were linked to more trouble falling and staying asleep<\/span><\/a>. Night sweats are another major contributor, but the transition is<\/span> linked to poorer sleep even in women who don’t experience them<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Oura\u2019s<\/span> 2024 Perimenopause Report<\/span><\/a>, which drew on data from more than 100,000 members, women lost up to two hours of sleep per week as they moved from premenopause to postmenopause, along with declines in deep and REM sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSleep can change across the menopause transition, but not every symptom can be attributed just to the fact that someone is in perimenopause,\u201d says Chris Curry, MD, PhD, Clinical Director of Women\u2019s Health at Oura. \u201cIf a woman notices that sleep issues are impacting their daily life, talking to their doctor about sleep conditions and getting screened for things like obstructive sleep apnea is worth the time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Member Tip:<\/b> Menopause Insights brings together your temperature, sleep, and HRV trends with the Menopause Impact Scale. Logging hot flashes and night sweats with Tags can help you see how they line up with your sleep, and gives you something concrete to share with your clinician.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Common Sleep Disorders in Women<\/b><\/h2>\n

Some sleep disorders, especially insomnia and restless legs syndrome (RLS), are significantly more common in women than in men. Others, like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), are likely to go undiagnosed in women.<\/span><\/p>\n