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A full moon can have impact on sleep, scientists believe
Author: Jonathan Warren
Researchers have found evidence that the moon disturbs sleep in a way that has nothing to do with light, the BBC reports. In a study of the sleeping patterns of 33 volunteers, researchers from Basel University in Switzerland found that when the moon was full volunteers took longer to fall asleep and had poorer quality sleep that on other nights.
To eliminate any kind of placebo effect, the experiment was carried out in tightly-controlled laboratory conditions and the volunteers were unaware of the purpose of the study. The volunteers also slept in darkened rooms that had no view of the moon. The study revealed that in the days surrounding the full moon, brain activity related to deep sleep dropped by nearly a third. The volunteers also took five minutes longer to fall asleep and slept for 20 minutes less when there was a full moon.
Reflecting on the results of the study, sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley explained: "There is such a strong cultural story around the full moon that it would not be surprising if it has an effect.
"It's up to science now to find out what's the cause of why we might sleep differently when there's a full moon."
A full moon can have impact on sleep, scientists believe
A full moon can have impact on sleep, scientists believe
