13 Natural PMS Insomnia Remedies
Natural PMS insomnia remedies can help you finally get a restful night sleep. Insomnia, and especially insomnia during PMS, can be frustrating, especially when you’ve tried so many things to just quiet your mind and calm those racing thoughts. Why can we experience PMS Insomnia?
Hormonal Drop before Period
Right after your period your estrogen levels start to increase. Once you ovulate progesterone starts to rise and then just before your next period both estrogen and progesterone drop. Some people who experience a sudden drop in these hormones can experience PMS insomnia or sleep issues (source).
Dysregulated Cortisol
Often in my practice I see insomnia correlated with an evening cortisol spike. What we want cortisol to be doing is to be highest in the morning when you first wake up and gradually decrease throughout the day. But due to things like stress, being constantly on, and other things that can raise our cortisol levels in the body, like excessive high intensity exercise, not eating enough, gut issues, and inflammation (the list goes on), we can experience that evening spike that makes it difficult to calm down and peacefully fall asleep.
Low Melatonin Levels
Insomnia can also be due to low melatonin levels or decreased sensitivity to melatonin. A study found that those with PMDD showed a decreased response to melatonin in their luteal phase compared to the follicular phase (source). Melatonin can get dysregulated due to stress and also the blue light from our electronics interfering with melatonin release (basically the blue light tricks our brain into thinking it’s still daylight so melatonin isn’t releasing so even if we just think we’ll scroll until we fall asleep, it doesn’t quite work that way).
13 Natural PMS Insomnia Remedies
My top recommendations for PMS insomnia include calming the stress response, incorporating a night routine to signal to the brain and body it’s time to wind down, and removing stress triggers where possible. Let’s go over some natural PMS insomnia remedies that can help you get a restful night sleep:
1. Magnesium
Magnesium is a great natural PMS insomnia remedy. Magnesium plays a crucial role in the production of your hormones and can help to balance the stress response (source). You can think of magnesium as our calming and relaxing mineral, making it a great natural remedy for PMS insomnia. Studies have shown that magnesium is effective for reducing anxiety (source, source). Magnesium interacts with GABA receptors, which is our mood chemical that has calming and relaxing effects (source). Many of us have low magnesium levels, but it goes unrecognized in clinical medicine because levels are rarely evaluated (source). One study found a beneficial effect on insomnia regardless of cause with three months of supplementing with a combination of magnesium, melatonin, and a vitamin B complex (source). I recommend either magnesium glycinate or magnesium chelate forms.
2. Epsom Salt Bath
An epsom salt bath in the evening is another great PMS insomnia remedy. I always recommend incorporating an evening ritual that works for you and an epsom salt bath can be a great addition, especially if you are struggling with PMS insomnia. Epsom salts are actually magnesium salts. When added to water they dissolve quickly and release magnesium that the body can absorb through the skin (source). Taking an epsom salt bath can help to relax the body and relieve muscle tension, making this a great natural remedy for natural PMS insomnia.
3. Adrenal Herbs: Gaia Herbs Nightly Restore
Adaptogenic herbs can help to lower cortisol levels and reduce stress in the body. Elevated evening cortisol levels may be behind your PMS insomnia. If you feeling low on energy, like it’s hard to keep with all you have going on each day, have trouble sleeping, or feel exhausted all the time you may have an imbalance in your cortisol levels. Cortisol is your hormone responsible for regulating stress. Adaptogenic herbs have been used for years and now there is research backing up their use to help lower or manage cortisol, reduce stress, and to help with sleep or insomnia (source). Here are 12 of my favorite adaptogenic herbs to help lower cortisol. One of my favorite adaptogen blends to help with PMS insomnia is Gaia Herbs Nightly Restore. Always work with your healthcare provider before starting a new supplement.
4. Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender essential oil has calming effects that make it a great natural remedy for PMS insomnia and to improve sleep quality. Studies have shown that lavender oil aromatherapy helped to improve sleep quality and mild insomnia cases (source).
5. Night Ritual
Support your circadian rhythm, or internal body clock, by implementing a routine in the evening to support your hormones that affect sleep, manage stress levels, and feel rested and energized throughout the day. A night ritual is a great natural remedy to incorporate for PMS insomnia relief. Have an hour or two before you want to go to bed to start winding down. You decide what winding down will look like for you. It's important to support our bodies with signals and the environment to let it know it's almost time for sleep. Things to consider to help PMS insomnia include putting all work and electronics away and lower the lighting to let your brain know it's time to start producing melatonin (your sleep hormone) so you can fall asleep.
6. Get Off Electronics
Turning off electronics at least an hour or two before bed can help to relieve PMS insomnia. The blue light from electronics can alter the body's circadian rhythm tricking you into thinking it's daytime. This affects your melatonin production - your sleep hormone. We're also on information overload from our day, emails, marketing messaging, etc. Give your brain a break and put away electronics at least one hour before bed so that you can relax before bed, not feel wired and unable to fall asleep. A lot of times we think we will just scroll until we get tired and fall asleep. Since this interferes with our melatonin production we're not getting to sleep when we should be! Getting off your electronics is a habit that can serve as a great natural remedy for PMS insomnia.
free pain-free period 5-day meal plan:
7. Dim the Lights
Dimming the lights is another natural PMS insomnia remedy. Aim to dim your lighting at least an hour before bed, if not longer. Low light signals to your body to begin producing melatonin, your sleep hormone, so your body can start winding down. Avoid bright overhead lights. Lamps are great for dim mood lighting or use the dimmer switch if you have one. Lighting candles is another great low light option so you can find PMS insomnia relief.
8. Meditation
Meditation is a great evening routine idea to help with PMS insomnia. Even a short 3-5 minute meditation is a great way to clear out any stuck energy from the day. Meditation allows your brain to calm down and enter a state where relaxing alpha and theta brain waves are predominant. When we are awake and alert our brain has beta waves. Alpha waves bridge beta to theta. Theta waves are where we experience deep relaxation. Try the app Insight Timer. There are some great meditations for sleep that can help you to relax before bed to help serve as a natural remedy for PMS insomnia.
9. Yin Yoga
Gentle yoga, like yin yoga, or stretching are another evening routine idea that can help with PMS insomnia. Gentle yoga and stretching are great ways to relieve stress and tension at the end of a long day, especially if you're sitting at your desk for most of it. Try adding deep breathing to your stretching routine. This will get your body ready for a restful night sleep and improve your overall quality of sleep. Yin or restorative yoga are great options to relax before bed. Try a 20-minute video on YouTube or Glo for PMS insomnia relief.
10. Deep Breathing Exercises
Another evening routine idea for PMS insomnia is to practice deep breathing. We may not even be aware of how shallow our breathing can get throughout the day, especially if we are tense, stressed, and running around. Deep belly breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system - think the opposite of fight-or-flight. Breathe in for a count of 5 filling up your lungs, breathing into your belly, chest rising, and out for a count of 5. Repeat and notice how your body feels. This is a great way to relax before bed and remedy for PMS insomnia.
11. Cup of herbal tea
Drinking a cup of herbal tea is another great evening routine idea to help with PMS insomnia. Caffeine-free herbal teas are a way to unwind at the end of the day. Try chamomile, lavender, holy basil, lemon balm, or passion flower. These teas can help to relax the body and make you sleepy so you're ready for bed. Some may even help to reduce stress and anxiety that can interfere with falling asleep.
12. Cut Caffeine by Noon
It's common to reach for a cup of coffee if you feel an afternoon slump. Caffeine is a stimulant and the effects of consuming later in the day can affect your ability to and quality of sleep. If you’re not getting good quality sleep and struggling with PMS insomnia you’re less likely to wake up feeling rested. Set a cut off time of 12 pm, opt for a non-coffee alternative, use a smaller mug, and limit caffeine as the day progresses for optimal sleep at night.
13. CBD
CBD is now commonly used to help with calming, anxiety, and sleep. It can be a great natural remedy for some people experiencing PMS insomnia. CBD stands for cannabidiol and it functions by acting on the endocannabinoid system, which is a system in the body that regulate our homeostasis. CBD is a potent anti-inflammatory. The difference between CBD and weed or marijuana is the THC content or what makes you high. Marijuana has a THC content over 0.3% and hemp or CBD has less than 0.3%. This number is for legal and labeling purposes. THC and CBD are both cannabinoids, they both act on the endocannabinoid system, but THC gets you high, CBD doesn’t. You can get CBD in various forms like a tincture, flower, or skin products. Here are some of the benefits of CBD: brain development, neuroplasticity which means creating new neural networks in the brain, coordination and movement, learning and memory, sleep, pain management, mood, stress and anxiety, nausea and vomiting, and immune function.
Take away message:
PMS insomnia can be frustrating, but there are so many natural remedies to help you achieve a restful night sleep in the week or two before your period when your sleep may suffer the most. If you’re looking to understand the root causes of your PMS insomnia, check out my hormone testing packages HERE.
