a rocky beach: moon and sleep© Provided by BGR moon and sleep

  • The effect that the Moon has on humans has long been debated, but new research suggests that it definitely affects our sleep.
  • A new study published in Science Advances suggests that the phase of the Moon has a real, measurable effect on the amount of sleep we get, and when we feel tired.
  • Participants in the study wore sleep trackers and their habits were tracked for as long as two months.

It’s often been said that a full moon makes people act differently than they might on any other night during a different phase of the Moon. Ancient civilizations would often place great significance on Moon phases and some believed that certain things only happened during specific moon phases, like a full moon. Now, science is offering some serious backing to these theories.

In a new study published in Science Advances, researchers had volunteers from Argentina’s indigenous communities wear sleep trackers for up to two months in order to track their sleep habits. Roughly 100 people from the region participated in the study. The data was also compared to sleep data gathered from over 450 residents of Seattle, and the similarities were incredible.