US EditionOxytocin May Protect Mood During Sleep Disruption in Women
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, JUL 12 – A study of 38 premenopausal women found higher oxytocin levels before sleep loss linked to fewer mood disturbances, suggesting oxytocin may buffer emotional effects of hormonal changes.
- Researchers led by Irene Gonsalvez, M.D., studied how sleep interruption affects mood and oxytocin levels in 38 healthy premenopausal women in San Francisco.
- To replicate the sleep disturbances commonly experienced during postpartum and menopause, the study disrupted participants' sleep across a three-night period, reflecting the hormonal shifts and mood difficulties typical of these phases.
- Interrupting sleep led to a notable rise in mood disturbances, as indicated by an increase in the POMS score, and was also associated with elevated oxytocin levels from 28.7 pg/mL to 36.4 pg/mL.
- Women with elevated oxytocin levels prior to sleep disruption showed smaller increases in mood disturbances afterward, indicating oxytocin may serve as a protective biological factor.
- These results suggest that oxytocin may serve as an inherent regulator of mood, offering a promising avenue to enhance mental health support for women during hormonal and emotional changes associated with reproductive stages.
11 Articles
11 Articles
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High levels of oxytocin may protect against negative mood effects from sleep disturbance
SAN FRANCISCO — During reproductive transitions such as postpartum and menopause, a high level of oxytocin may reduce negative mood effects brought on by sleep disturbance, researchers reported at ENDO 2025. Irene Gonsalvez, MD, associate psychiatrist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and instructor at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues observed 38 healthy premenopausal women
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Oxytocin may protect mood during sleep disruption in women
Oxytocin, often called "the love hormone," may play a protective role in mood disturbances triggered by sleep loss and hormonal shifts during key reproductive transitions like postpartum and menopause, according to a study being presented Saturday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif.
Oxytocin may reduce mood changes in women with disrupted sleep
Oxytocin, often called "the love hormone," may play a protective role in mood disturbances triggered by sleep loss and hormonal shifts during key reproductive transitions like postpartum and menopause, according to a study being presented Saturday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif.
Oxytocin, nicknamed the "hormone of love" for its role in bond, trust, and affection, is much more than a messenger of emotional well-being. Far from being just a metaphor, it seems that emotional connections could, in a way, be linked to our heart vitality through this fascinating molecule. Researchers at the University of Michigan are deepening their influence on the body, revealing a surprising and hopeful role for heart health and recovery.
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