You may have noticed a brighter night sky recently while experiencing a full moon. NASA reports that the event, called Wolf Moon, began Thursday afternoon and ended Saturday morning. But you have noticed some change in your personal sleep bosses the days before the full moon?
When the last full moon began, a new study was published suggesting that a full moon can affect human sleep. cycles. The researchers confirmed that the nights before the full moon have more natural light available after sunset.
New research found that in the days before the full moon, people go to bed later in the evening and sleep for shorter periods of time.
The results were reported in a study published in the publication Scientific advances. The research was led by biology professor Horacio of the University of Washington Church.
“When we looked at the data, it was right there, we weren’t expecting this pattern at all,” de la Iglesia said in a video about the findings. He said the study provided clear evidence that a person’s sleep-wake cycle is “synchronized”With changes that the moon passes.
The moon takes 27.3 days to orbit the Earth, but it takes 29.5 days to complete a full cycle from New Moon to New Moon. The new study measured the sleep patterns of the test subjects as the moon advanced for at least a full cycle of 29.5 days. Some subjects were tested through two lunar cycles.
On average, people participating in the study slept about 52 minutes less the nights before the full moon. They also went to bed about 30 minutes later. Research showed that people had the last hours of sleep and the least amount of sleep during the nights that passed three to five days before the full moon.
“I became one of the subjects in the study and when I looked back on my own data I couldn’t believe how much my sleep changed,” de la Iglesia said.
Effect on sleep in different areas
Previous studies by the Church team and other research groups have shown this access in electricity it has a clear effect on sleep. Therefore, the team included this element in their research.
The study involved 98 people living in three different communities in Toba indigenous people in Argentina. Each community had different access to electricity. One rural community had no access to electricity, while a second only had limited access. A third community was in a more populated area and had full access to electricity.
Sleep data were collected electronically from individuals via the wrist monitors. The research team said it believes this method resulted in more effective data than some previous studies that only relied on user-reported sleep data.
In addition to Indigenous communities, the researchers also examined the sleep data of 464 college students in the Seattle, Washington area. These data had been collected for a separate study. The researchers said they discovered the same lunar cycle patterns in the students’ sleep data.
“Although the effect is more robust in communities without access to electricity, the effect is present in communities with electricity, ”he said of the Church.
Scientists say more research is needed to help explain other possible causes of changes in sleep patterns in test subjects. These causes may involve biological differences in individuals or social patterns within communities.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the University of Washington, Science Advances and NASA. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in this story
pattern – n. a particular way that something is often done or repeated
cycle – n. a series of events that happen in a particular order and are often repeated
synchronize – v. to make something happen at the same time as something else
access – n. the ability to use or participate in something
indigenous – adj. produced or existing naturally in an area
monitor – n. a device used to measure something, such as heart rate
robust – adj. strong and healthy