- The effect the Moon has on humans has long been debated, but new research suggests it definitely affects our sleep.
- A new study published in Science Advances suggests that the Moon phase has a real and measurable effect on how much sleep we sleep and when we feel tired.
- Study participants wore sleep trackers and their habits were monitored for two months.
It has often been said that a full moon causes people to act differently than they could any other night during a different phase of the Moon. Ancient civilizations would often attach great importance to lunar phases and some believed that certain things only happened during specific lunar phases, such as the full moon. Now, science offers strong support for these theories.
In a new study published in Scientific advances, the researchers had volunteers from indigenous communities in Argentina who used sleep trackers for up to two months to track their sleep habits. Approximately 100 people from the region participated in the study. The data was also compared to sleep data collected by more than 450 Seattle residents, and the similarities were incredible.
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The study attempted to determine differences in sleep patterns based on moonlight, and since the full moon and the days before night are the brightest nights, it makes sense that natives (some of whom they had limited access to electricity) later in the nights with a bright moon and slept almost an hour less than other nights of the month.
This finding, in itself, would be quite interesting just because it gives us an insight into how our pre-industrial ancestors may have behaved due to the different phases of the Moon. Still, the study takes an even more impressive turn when Seattle data is included. It turns out that city dwellers, despite having access to artificial light in so many ways, also exhibited different sleep patterns based on the lunar phase.
“The fact that this modulation was present even in communities with full access to electric light suggests that these effects are mediated by something other than the moonlight itself,” said Leandro Casiraghi, lead author of the research . CNN.
But how could the Moon affect people if light is not the only factor? This part is still unclear, but researchers have their theories. One of these theories is that humans have internal clocks that regulate more than the 24-hour and sleep / wake cycles. Many animals have instinctive responses at times of the year, even if seasonal changes do not lead to dramatic changes in climate. It is possible that humans have had a similar adaptation for a long time, and that staying awake late when the moon is bright is burning in our DNA. Of course, this is just a theory.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games over the past decade, covering breaking news and trends in VR, portable devices, smartphones and future technology. Most recently, Mike worked as a technical editor at The Daily Dot and has appeared on USA Today, Time.com and countless other web and print outlets. His love of reporting is only second to his gambling addiction.