Can I take progesterone for sleep in perimenopause?

The Dodge

Someone asked in the comments if there was a role for progesterone for sleep in perimenopause?

It’s a great question.

There are many people who say progesterone (meaning oral micronized progesterone) makes them feel sleepy. There is definitely biology to back that up. When progesterone is broken down by the body, one of the metabolites is allopregnanolone, which can stimulate GABA-A receptors in the brain and this can have a positive effect on sleep architecture. (As an aside, sleep architecture is a great term). Some data suggests it may even be even similar to the effect of benzodiazepines (medications like Valium) on sleep.