'Love hormone' softens impact of less sleep

Oxytocin may act as a potential biological buffer during periods of hormonal and emotional vulnerability in women

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The 'love hormone' oxytocin may play a protective role in mood disturbances triggered by sleep loss and hormonal shifts during key reproductive transitions like postpartum and menopause, say researchers.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School studied the combined impact of sleep interruption and oestrogen suppression on mood and oxytocin levels in healthy premenopausal women.

Their findings suggest that oxytocin may help reduce the negative mood effects brought on by fragmented sleep, which is an often-overlooked consequence of reproductive transitions.