By Andy | April 21, 2008 - 5:20 am - Posted in Insomnia, Sleep Habits
Does the full moon affect our sleep? How about the cycles of the moon? Many disorders seem to follow the phases of the moon. When the moon is full, some people may suffer from insomnia, nightmares, strange dreams, and some people even sleepwalk. There is one more interesting fact that some people sleep better when the moon is full, even if its shine falls into their faces.
… But: Austrian scientists have shown that sleep patterns are not affected by the phases of
the moon.
- Numerous studies have tried to find lunar effects. Reuters reports that researchers with the Austrian Society for Sleep Medicine & Sleep Research examined the sleep patterns of 391 people in several European countries. About half the subjects had sleeping disorders, but no one knew the researchers were interested in the effect of the moon. “When I deal with patients with sleep problems, so many say that the full moon stopped them (from) sleeping, that even I was expecting some small difference to show up in the study,” Gerhardt Kloesch, the Vienna University psychologist who led the current research, told Reuters.
- In fact, just 8 percent of those surveyed had problems sleeping while there was a full moon, compared to 25 percent who said they had a particularly good night’s sleep on the night of a full moon.
- Full moon or not, it’s important to get the right amount of sleep each night. If you sleep too little-or
even too much–you’re at a higher risk for a heart attack. In a separate research study, doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston have determined that women who have a sleep imbalance–that is, sleep five or less hours a night or nine or more–run a greater risk of getting heart disease than those who sleep eight hours a night. Why? They aren’t sure, especially for those who sleep too much. Reuters reports that while the study involved 121,700 female nurses that began in 1976, the results are likely to apply to men as well.
im 18 years old and im having gr8 difficulty sleeping most of the time, but last night i sleapt very well, im guessing that the full moon made me sleep, but i cant go to sleep now. the moon must effect MY sleeping.
for three months i cant sleep if thier is afull moon.. it’s driving me crazy… does it really affect my sleep?
past few years or all my life really…
i cant sleep when there is a full moon, why? how? i dont kno… but when i wake up i check if there is a full moon,,,, and there is.
there should be research on ppl that sleep fine but cant sleep on full moons.
I’m a girl and I have trubble sleeping on full moons. some of my friends think i’m part werewolf, but i don’t know why.
I work in the maritime industry, which leads to random patterns of the full moon, based on where in the world I am. Also it means that i don’t generally have access to see if there is going to be a full moon wherever I am.
For years I’ve had issues sleeping the night before, during and the night after the full moon. So obviously I am one of the 8% that have issues. I’ve even tried a bad combination of sleep aid, pain killer and muscle relaxer to try and get over it but it still had problems.
All other times I sleep great 8 hours a night.
I’ve read that it is the light, but on a ship it is very easy to make it so dark you cannot see to even get to the bathroom.
I also read that the influence of the moon on a person is like a mosquito landing on your arm. But ironically I feel that pretty clearly when it happens.
I’ve considered trying to get some official help, but not quite sure how to do it. Do I go on a normal night, then on a full moon? Or do I just go on a full moon?
I have always had sleep issues, but have noticed a few times where I have had a really sleepless night and when I woke up the next morning I have been told that there was a full moon the night before, so I agree, something about the full moon affects my sleep. Now if someone could figure out what to do about it.!
i have the same problem as “Damir” i honestly can say that i am usually a great sleeper when i eventually get to bed i pretty much fall to sleep not long after my head touches the pillow so when a little while ago ,for the life of me i just couldnt sleep i told my sister in the morning and then that day on the radio she had heard that it had been a full moon the night before and told me some people can be affected by this.
i am now convinced i cant sleep during a full moon as again i could not sleep at all last night and i can honestly say i didnt even know it was a full moon until a little further on in the night when i had eventually got up and just looked outside.
it has me dumbfounded,its bizarre how on edge i felt last night ive never felt like that before..
I’m 19 and every full moon I get little to no sleep.This is one of those nights.I’ve been like this for the past 5 years,or atleast 5 years that I’ve noticed.During a full moon I’ve experienced;insomnia,restlessness and on occasion hyperactivity.Sleepy-pills on’t do a damn thing.If the moon isn’t the cause of this clock work activity then what is?
If these Austrian scientists can give me a cure then I’ll be all for them and their idea that the moon has no effect on us,but untill then my feet are firmly planted in MOON=BAD