@nourishingapothecary: Can’t sleep the week before your period? Your hormones may be part of the reason. If you consistently notice that your sleep deteriorates in the days before your period, I pay attention to the timing. After ovulation, progesterone rises and one of its metabolites, allopregnanolone, interacts with GABA-A receptors in the brain. GABA is one of our major inhibitory neurotransmitter systems and is involved in calming neural activity and supporting sleep. Then, towards the end of the luteal phase, progesterone and oestrogen fall as the corpus luteum regresses. For some women, that hormonal withdrawal appears to affect sleep far more noticeably than it does for others. You may find it harder to fall asleep, wake repeatedly through the night, or suddenly find yourself wide awake at 3am despite sleeping normally earlier in your cycle. But this is where I want to add some nuance. Premenstrual insomnia does not automatically mean you have “too much oestrogen.” When I’m assessing this clinically, I’m thinking about the entire cycle: whether ovulation is occurring, luteal phase progesterone production, PMS symptoms, cycle length, bleeding patterns, thyroid function, iron status, stress physiology, perimenopause and other factors that can influence sleep. I’m also interested in bowel function and gastrointestinal health because metabolised oestrogens are ultimately eliminated from the body, including through the gut. The pattern matters. If your sleep is perfectly reasonable for most of the month and predictably falls apart before every period, that timing is useful clinical information. If this sounds familiar and you’d like help understanding what may be driving your symptoms, our naturopathic team at Nourishing Apothecary works with women across Australia via Zoom. Book a free discovery call to find the right practitioner for you at: nourishingapothecary.com #pms #hormonehealth #womenshealth #periodhealth #insomnia

Jaime | Naturopath & Homeopath

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Tuesday 01 September 2026 21:00:50 GMT