If you're a woman who feels like sleep is harder for you than for the men in your life — you're not imagining it. Women are consistently more likely to report insomnia and disturbed sleep than men. And a lot of it comes down to hormones.
Why do women wake up more during the night?
Quick answer: Women tend to wake more during the night partly because of hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause, which affect body temperature, mood and the stress response — all of which influence how deeply and continuously you sleep.
Sleep isn't fixed — it shifts with your hormones across the month and across your life. Understanding that pattern is the first step to working with it instead of feeling broken by it.
How do hormones affect sleep?
Quick answer: Estrogen and progesterone both influence sleep. Progesterone has a calming, sleep-supportive effect, while estrogen affects mood and temperature regulation. When these hormones rise and fall across the cycle, sleep quality rises and falls with them.
Progesterone is often described as nature's calming hormone. When it drops — for example, in the days before your period — many women find sleep becomes lighter and more broken, and anxiety creeps up.
Why is my sleep worse before my period?
Quick answer: Sleep is often worse before your period because progesterone and estrogen both drop in the days beforehand. This can raise body temperature, disturb mood, increase anxiety and make it harder to fall and stay asleep — a common part of PMS.
If the week before your period reliably brings restless nights, racing thoughts and low mood, that's a hormonal pattern, not a personal failing. Extra wind-down support during this phase can make a real difference.
Why do I crave chocolate before my period?
Quick answer: Cravings for chocolate before your period are linked to dropping hormones and a dip in magnesium and mood-related brain chemicals. Chocolate (especially cocoa) is rich in magnesium and gives a comforting mood lift — so the craving is partly your body asking for magnesium.
It's a lovely bit of biology: the thing you crave before your period contains the very mineral that supports calm and relaxation. A warm cocoa drink with added magnesium answers the craving and the underlying need — which is part of why an evening cocoa ritual works so well for women.
What is the connection between cortisol and sleep?
Quick answer: Cortisol is your main stress hormone and follows a daily rhythm — high in the morning, low at night. When chronic stress keeps cortisol elevated in the evening, it directly opposes the wind-down process and makes sleep harder. Women's cortisol response can be especially sensitive to stress.
If you feel exhausted but wired at night, an out-of-sync cortisol rhythm is often part of the story. Supporting your stress response — with calm rituals and adaptogens like reishi — helps bring it back into balance over time.
How can women improve sleep naturally?
- Track your cycle and your sleep. Expect lighter sleep before your period and plan extra wind-down then.
- Protect your evenings during PMS. Less stress, more warmth, earlier nights.
- Support magnesium levels. Especially helpful in the second half of your cycle.
- Build a consistent ritual. Hormones fluctuate; a steady nightly routine gives your body a reliable anchor.
- Manage daytime stress. Lower daytime cortisol means easier evenings.
Most sleep advice is written as if everyone's body works the same way. Women's bodies don't — and a ritual that supports calm, magnesium and a balanced stress response is especially well suited to the way women's sleep actually changes through the month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do women really need more sleep than men?
Research suggests women may need slightly more sleep on average, and they're more likely to experience disrupted sleep — partly due to hormonal changes and a more reactive stress response.
What helps with sleep during PMS?
A consistent, calming evening routine, magnesium support, keeping the bedroom cool, and lowering stress in the days before your period. These work with the hormonal dip rather than against it.
Why do I get anxiety at night before my period?
Falling progesterone and estrogen before your period affect mood and the stress response, which can heighten anxiety — especially at night when distractions fall away. It's a recognised part of PMS for many women.
Your evening doesn't need fixing — it needs a ritual. Eese Dream Ritual is a warm, cocoa-based evening drink with magnesium bisglycinate, L-theanine, GABA and reishi, made to help you slow down, soften the day and ease into rest — naturally, without melatonin and without a glass of wine. Start your Dream Ritual tonight →
These statements have not been evaluated by EFSA or FDA. Eese is a food supplement and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have ongoing sleep problems, speak with your doctor.