A recent study from researchers at Stanford University’s Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance,in collaboration with WHOOP, found between sleep patterns and menstrual cycle regularity.
Researchers analyzed 2,596 women, covering 42,759 menstrual cycles and approximately 1.2 million days of WHOOP data, to understand the connection between sleep, physiology, and menstrual cycles. The analysis focused on biometrics including resting heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, skin temperature, and blood oxygen.
The findings suggest that sleep duration and consistency are associated with cycle regularity. Women who averaged six hours per night were 1.3 times more likely to have cycles that deviated by three or more days than women who averaged eight hours.
Beyond menstruation, poor sleep influenced biometrics during all phases of the cycle. The study found a 10% drop in sleep led to a 1.2% increase in resting heart rate and an approximately 2.8% drop in HRV.
