![]() ![]() Many females sleep less and have less REM sleep when the full moon phase is near, whereas males have more REM sleep close to a full moon. May affect males and females differentlyĪ 2015 study of 205 people found that the full moon may affect sleep differently in males and females. The deepest sleep occurs just before REM sleep begins. Other causes of REM sleep latency can include: So, increased latency means it takes a longer time to get to REM sleep. Sleep latency is the period between when you first fall asleep and when you enter the first stage of REM sleep. Other research suggests that the full moon may be associated with less deep sleep and increased REM (rapid eye movement) latency. Interestingly, one 2021 study found that people fell asleep later and slept less overall on the nights before the full moon. When the moon is full and bright, it may affect the quality of your sleep. Here’s what researchers can tell us about the connections that do exist between people and the full moon. Still, not many studies link the moon to human behavior and health conditions. The ocean’s tides rise and fall in time with the moon’s phases, and several marine species - including reef coral, sea-dwelling worms, and some fish - have reproductive cycles that are roughly timed to lunar cycles. While many of these theories have since been debunked, the possibility that humans could be affected by the moon’s cycles isn’t entirely groundless. The idea that the moon impacts certain aspects of physical and mental health can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome and is well-documented in the writings of classical authors like Aristotle and Lucilius.ĭuring the 1970s, psychiatrist Arnold Lieber theorized that the moon influenced the body’s “biological tides” and altered human behavior, leading to increased rates of violence and homicide. The “lunar effect” is based on the belief that health and behavior are altered during specific stages of the lunar cycle, with some claiming that it can affect everything from reproductive health to sleep quality and beyond. For instance, famed British jurist William Blackstone wrote that people gained and lost their ability to reason according to the moon’s shifting phases. ![]() The connection between the two is even supported in historic legal treatises. The word “lunatic,” after all, stemmed from the idea that changes in mental state were related to lunar cycles. For centuries, physicians and philosophers blamed behavioral changes on the pull of the moon. ![]()
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