Day 1 of your cycle is the first day of your period. This is when your progesterone levels are usually at their lowest — meaning lower GABA production and worse sleep quality.
In addition to this, the symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) leading up to your period can also affect your sleep. These symptoms include:
Day 5-12
Your progesterone levels are still low at this point in your cycle. But since your menstrual symptoms have gone, you might find it easier to sleep.
Day 13-23
Your progesterone levels start to rise during the middle of your cycle, increasing GABA production. This can make you feel tired and relaxed. So this is the point in your cycle when you’re most likely to get some good quality sleep (wahey!).
Day 23-28
Your progesterone levels start to fall in the days leading up to your period, lowering your GABA production and possibly causing worse quality sleep. As mentioned, you might also be dealing with the symptoms of PMS which can impact your sleep quality.
From about 35 years, your progesterone and oestrogen levels gradually decline.
Since your progesterone levels are dropping, you might find that your sleep quality gets worse. In fact, this is probably the point in your life where you might have the most trouble getting good quality sleep. Again, some common symptoms associated with menopause, like night sweats, chills, and anxiety, can affect your sleep.
When you’re stressed, your body releases the hormone cortisol — giving you a burst of new energy to help you cope with the situation. Cortisol and progesterone are made from the same building blocks (steroids) and your body will always prioritise making cortisol. So if you’re stressed a lot, you might not produce enough progesterone and your sleep quality can suffer.
Just because your hormone levels aren’t optimal doesn’t mean you can’t get a good night’s sleep. There are lots of things in your control that can promote good sleep:
Gottesmann, C. (2002). GABA mechanisms and sleep. Neuroscience, 111(2), 231-239.
Lancel, M. A. R. I. K. E., Faulhaber, J. O. H. A. N. N. E. S., Holsboer, F. L. O. R. I. A. N., & Rupprecht, R. A. I. N. E. R. (1996). Progesterone induces changes in sleep comparable to those of agonistic GABAA receptor modulators. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 271(4), E763-E772.
Manber, R., & Armitage, R. (1999). Sex, steroids, and sleep: a review. Sleep, 22(5), 540-541.