Association between lunar phase and sleep characteristics

Abstract

230Main text: 2938 Tables: 4 3 ABSTRACT Objectives: Popular belief holds that the lunar cycle affects human physiology, behavior and health, including sleep. To date, only a few and conflicting analyses have been published about the association between lunar phases and sleep. Our aim was to analyze the relationship between lunar phases and sleep characteristics. Methods:In this retrospective, cross-sectional analysis data from 319 patients who had been referred for sleep study were included. Individuals with apnea-hypopnea index≥15/h were excluded. Sociodemographic parameters were recorded. All participants underwent one-night standard polysomnography. Associations between lunar cycle (new moon, full moon and alternate moon) and sleep parameters were examined in unadjusted and adjusted models.Results: 57% of patients were males. Mean age for men was 45±14 years and 51±12 years for women. 224 persons had their sleep study done during alternate moon, 47 during full moon and 48 during new moon. There were no significant differences regarding age and gender between groups.Full moon was associated with lower sleep efficiency (median(%) [ Conclusion:Our results are consistent with a recent report and the widely held belief that sleep characteristics may be associated with the full moon.

Meteorologic parameters and migraine headache: ED study

“…As there is a common belief that stress is increased during full moon, we have included possible relationship between the number of patients who referred to the emergency department with migraine headaches and moon phases. Although acute behavioral disorders, tendency to violence in psychiatric patients [21,23], and sleep disorders [24] have been reported to be more during full moon in several publications, we did not find a significant relationship between moon phases and the number of patients admitted to the emergency department with migraine headaches.…”

Evidence for daily and weekly rhythmicity but not lunar or seasonal rhythmicity of physical activity in a large cohort of individuals from five different countries

“…The failure to detect lunar variation was not due to lack of adequate statistical power (Type II error), as significant variation was detected in the daily and weekly time domains with an identical experimental design. This failure to find evidence of lunar rhythmicity is noteworthy because, despite the established view that lunar rhythmicity does not affect human physiology and behavior (19), three recent studies have described lunar cycle effects on human sleep (36–38). The authors of a more extensive study of sleep across lunar cycles failed to confirm this effect and recommended the publication of negative results to counter occasional claims of positive results (39).…”

Bad sleep? Don't blame the moon! A population-based study

“…The evidence of an effect of lunar cycles on human biology and sleep was reported to be largely based on folklore or myths, with little robust scientific evidence 1 . Nevertheless, more recent studies based either on sleep electroencephalography (EEG) or on subjective sleep evaluations have yielded conflicting results [2][3][4][5][6] . This might be due to the fact that not all key variables had been controlled for and that further studies were deemed necessary 7 .…”