Progesterone is a sex hormone that's released in the second half of the cycle after ovulation. It's major role is to help prepare the uterine lining for pregnancy. However, outside of that progesterone has a very important role in helping with sleep. Progesterone helps to form the calming neurotransmitters in the brain, and therefore functions very similarly to a sedative, without the addictive potential. As women age, the quality of ovulation reduces, and therefore the amount of progesterone produced also reduces, resulting in poor sleep quality.
Progesterone is often used in combination with estrogen, however, multiple studies have shown that even on its own progesterone helps to improve sleep onset, total sleep time, and overall sleep quality in peri-menopausal and menopausal women (1).
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References:
(1) Nolan, B., Liang, B. and Cheung, A. Efficacy of micronised progesterone for sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trial data.
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