Many myths that portray how the power of the full moon affects human life. However, science is now getting close to uncovering the truth of these myths, one of which is associated with sleep disruption while the full moon.
The study said, the human body, particularly the circadian rhythm, is not only influenced by the rising and setting sun, but also the phase of the moon.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology motivated many people who have trouble sleeping when the emergence of the full moon. Researchers study, Silvia Frey, neuroscientists from the University of Basel, said, initially sounds funny, but after hearing complaints from many people sleep, there may be something behind the full moon.
Frey and his team then analyzed the sleep of 33 healthy people in a sleep laboratory for three and a half days. The participants are set to not be able to see the clock or outdoor light. Constant temperature and humidity regulated.
The research team noted hormones and brain activity of the participants. They also noted the length of time the participants to be able to fall asleep and total sleep duration participants.
In addition, the research team also collected data from previous studies, involving the same participants for 64 days. In the data, there is complete information as new data, but because the time is longer, the researchers could compare it with the phase of the moon.
The study found, four days before and after the full moon, the participants experienced a decrease in the quality of sleep. The study also found that the students need more time to sleep about 20 minutes. The participants also decreased as much time in the third phase of sleep, and decreased sleep hormone melatonin.
However, the researchers admit the study has several limitations. Because using old data, they can not know the other factors that affect the participants had trouble sleeping.
"We do not expect there will be a big difference, especially at the levels of the hormone melatonin. Maybe there are psychological factors that play a role," said Frey.
Previous studies found that heart disease patients spend less time in the hospital with a lower mortality rate when undergoing surgery on the full moon.
