Moonstruck! Does the Moon Affect Your Sleep?

Who hasn't been awed by the beauty of a full moon flooding over the horizon? But does the shine of the full moon have any influence on sleep? Does it increase your chance of insomnia? Folklore tells us that the full moon has long been associated with magic, as well as with states of madness and insomnia. We've all heard the old warning: if you stare too long at the moon you may go mad.
Moon photo
In fact, the Lunar cycle has influenced life and the mind of Man since the beginning of time. The link runs so deep in our culture, that we even see it in our language; the words 'lunacy' and 'lunatic' both derive their meanings from associations with Luna, the Roman moon goddess. Stories of lycanthropes, or werewolves, also feed heavily on this link between changing human states and the appearance of a full moon. Many calendars and almanacs include Moon Planting Calendars and even Fishing Guides.

A lot of sleep disorders seem to follow the phases of the moon. While the moon is full, some people may suffer from insomnia, strange dreams, nightmares, and some people even sleepwalk.

Indeed, the idea that the full moon has an effect on human and animal health and behaviour shows no sign of going away. In 19th-century England, lawyers used the "guilty by reason of the full moon" defence to claim that their "lunatic" clients could not be held accountable for acting under the moon's influence. Recent American study found that the belief in a lunar cycle effect among health professionals is waxing (decreasing Moon) rather than waning (increasing Moon).

Everybody knows such expression as “mood madness”, in fact, it close to the truth. You may not believe that the moon can cause a person to go mad, but the full moon definitely has an effect on emotional condition.

There is no doubt now the phases of the moon do have an effect on the human mind. The moon does have a certain magnetic attraction which can cause tides, but recent studies show that the magnetic pull of the moon can also affect people’s moods and their brain activity. Some researches suggesting that a full moon, or a phase close to such, excites the brain’s impulses and making it harder to fall asleep.

If you look at major cities all over the world, you will notice that the day before, after and during the full moon there is more rape and murder going on. The reason is that the full moon tends to cause a ripple in the magnetic field of the earth, and this change is enough to take people that are emotionally near the edge over the edge. The magnetic field affects the emotional body.

Dr Arnold Lierber suggests the biological tide theory, in which the moon exerts a pull on the water within the body (which is 65 percent water), resulting in a cascade of effects. Internal body rhythms may also be implicated, as could the effects on the pineal gland of the light emitted by the moon or a slightly warmer temperature triggered by the full moon.

8 comments:

Sue said...

Fascinating post, thank you.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

It's absolutely true!

Anonymous said...

I have noticed this, it really pisses me off i want to sleep, i have enough things to worry about without tossing and turning evry time the moon is full, i also become quite cold and something just doesnt let me doze off, thanks mrs moon!

Anonymous said...

I have tracked this pattern since i was 22... i was having issues sleeping, the doctor thought it was hormones... Asked me to chart my sleepless nights.... Well as i went back in my journal i noticed that a large percentage of the nights it was a full moon night. I always mentioned that i got up walked around the house and looked out to and would mention it was a FULL MOON!!! Now NOT EVERY SINGLE FULL MOON effects me.... But a LARGE AMOUNT do.. My husband and now my 12 year old son notice it as well... I do not look at the cal to check full moons... Im busy and dont have time nor do I want to know...I dont want my mind to be preset to knowing that its a full moon because of the fact that there are some full moon nights i sleep... I try to aim for that experience every time... I do not run around naked nor do i go outside doing crazy things... I pretty much just have a bunch of energy...
Now I have a relative that worked at a dept store in the jewelry section and they said every full moon a man would come in the store and spit on the counters... they had to call the police on him every time and security would watch for him... Now was that the full moon or was he just a crazy man... I have no clue, but it happened...

Anonymous said...

I also find that I have unexpected insomnia and can't figure out why I'm wide awake...then I discover it's a couple of days before, or the day of, or the day after a full moon....EVERY SINGLE MONTH. My mother has the same thing happen, and so did my grandmother. I also began my period for over 20 years when the moon was full. It is harder for me to control my impulses, so I stay home and try not to shop or eat out.

Anonymous said...

correction: a waxing moon means it is increasing, a waning moon decreases.

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