Well, according to a study conducted by six Swiss scientists last month, the lunar cycle does have a clear effect on melatonin levels and therefore many aspects of our sleep. The folklore might be correct after all, as there is now evidence supporting it. The study was performed eliminating error from outside factors such as fluctuating daylight hours and knowledge of the study details.
The data collected showed a 30 percent diminish in EEG delta activity during non-rapid-eye-movement sleep at the tine of full moons which manifests as less deep sleep. Data also suggested an average of 5 minutes longer to fall asleep during these phases of the lunar cycle. Lastly, there was also evidence collected that the average complete sleeping time is reduced around these phases as well. Quantitative melatonin hormone levels support the finding that the lunar cycle likely affects human sleep.
Here is a graph of sleep latency versus the lunar cycle. The sinusoidal relationship between the two is clearly visible.
This graph shows multiple sleep factors graphed against the cycle of the moon. A clear symmetrical pattern is observable in each.
So, if the moon’s cycle really does affect our hormone levels and our sleeping abilities, what does that mean? Why do we have bodily systems in place that react to lunar phases? Is this reaction purposeful or merely a trivial product of some unexplained physics? If the reaction has some purpose, is it an outdated evolutionary characteristic that no longer applies? This study raises a number of questions to be asked about the apparent correlation between the moon and our sleep. Perhaps the next step is to further investigate the connection. Who knows what we could discover about human biology, history, and lunar physics.
Works Cited:
1. Christian Cajochen, Songül Altanay-Ekici, Mirjam Münch, Sylvia Frey, Vera Knoblauch, Anna Wirz-Justice. Evidence that the Lunar Cycle Influences Human Sleep. Current Biology, Volume 23, Issue 15, 5 August 2013, Pages 1485-1488, ISSN 0960-9822, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.06.029. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982213007549).
