The Moon May Be Messing With Your Sleep. Here's How
There's a reason why you tend to get better sleep during different times of the month, and it may have to do with the moon. Researchers have long debated the impact that the moon has on your rest, and now, there appear to be more answers. Mindbodygreen cites a new study finding that the moon may impact men and women differently. Indeed, men may toss and turn in their sleep depending on the moon's placement than women.
The research involved 800 participants between the ages of 22 and 81, monitoring their rest with polysomnography throughout the moon's phases — and came back with some interesting results. The outlet notes that, between the new moon and full moon (the waxing period), men experienced a lower sleep quality — waking up throughout the night. The waning period produced better sleep outcomes among men while women's sleep cycles didn't really change with the moon.
The surprising results have pointed to an interesting trend that may be important to your snooze sessions.
Full moons and sleep
The reason that your sleep cycle may shift throughout the moon's transit likely revolves around the varying amounts of daylight. The Guardian reports that the days before the full moon correlated with more time awake and poorer sleep in one study, while the days following the full moon were associated with deeper rest across the participants. Indeed, the outlet notes, the nights prior to the full moon had more moonlight which may have contributed to interrupted sleep patterns.
After conducting a corroborative study, researchers explained their findings, noting, "Together, these results strongly suggest that human sleep is synchronised with lunar phases regardless of ethnic and socio-cultural background and of the level of urbanisation."
Across the world, people respond to the changes of the moon. Whether these results stem from excess light during various times of its cycle or from other factors, it may be worth practicing extra sleep hygiene like taking magnesium before bed on the days leading up to the full moon.