Natural progesterone and sleep
A study published this year (J N Am Menopause Soc, 2001;8(1):3-4) looked at how natural progesterone and medroxyprogesterone (Provera) affect sleep in post-menopausal women. The study concluded that, when women take natural progesterone, they fall asleep faster and wake up less frequently during the night. The average sleep time increases by more than 40 minutes, which is similar to the effects of many prescription sleeping pills, but with no daytime drowsiness or other side effects. In contrast, no improvement in the quality or duration of sleep is observed in women taking Provera.