New Study Links Poor Sleep to Full Moon
by Amanda MacMillan
It may sound like something out of a Twilight novel, but scientists in Switzerland are reporting that our sleep patterns can be affected by lunar cycles -- and that tossing and turning on nights when there's a full moon might not be a mere coincidence.
The story goes that lots of people tend to complain about poor sleep on or around the nights when there's a full moon. And sure, it makes sense that it had been suggested that brighter skies at night might lead to less shuteye. But in modern times -- with our comfy beds and climate-controlled environments and curtains that block out light -- the scientific community had little reason to believe that something like the moon could really still affect sleep patterns profoundly.
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But chronobiology researchers at the University of Basel wanted to see if there was anything to the notion that a brighter moon would mean poorer sleep. So the scientists monitored overnight brain patterns, eye movements and hormone secretions of 33 volunteers over the course of a month with no modern light- or noise-blocking technologies employed. Not only did the participants feel like they got worse sleep at certain times during the lunar cycle, but the research team's observations confirmed it physiologically, as well.
Published today in the journal Current Biology, the study found that people took about five minutes longer to fall asleep when the moon was full. They also slept for 20 minutes less on average each night, and activity in their brain areas related to sleep dropped by 30 percent. The volunteers also had lower levels of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep and wake cycles.
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"This is the first reliable evidence that lunar rhythm can modulate sleep structure in humans," says lead study author Christian Cajochen, Ph.D. He believes that this pattern is an evolutionary trait left behind from ancient times when the moon's cycles helped to synchronize human behavior. Today, he says, things like electric lights and sleep-inducing gadgets mask the moon's effects for the most part -- but deep down (especially in a controlled lab environment), the connection still appears to be ingrained in all of us.
The researchers went on to note that it would be interesting to look at other human behaviors the moon may still have residual power over, like cognitive performance and mood. Kinda spooky to think about, right? (And if the sleep thing isn't weird enough, here's another thing I just learned about the full moon: It's also linked to safer heart surgeries! Crazy.) Next thing you know, they'll be telling us that werewolves are real, right?
What do you think: Have you ever noticed whether your sleep is affected by the moon?
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