Many people complain about poor sleep around the full moon, and now a report appearing in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, on July 25 offers some of the first convincing scientific evidence to suggest that this really is true. The findings add to evidence that humans -- despite the comforts of our civilized¹ world -- still respond to the geophysical rhythms of the moon, driven by a circalunar clock. "The lunar cycle seems to influence human sleep, even when one does not 'see' the moon and is not aware of the actual moon phase," says Christian² Cajochen of the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel.

 

In the new study, the researchers studied 33 volunteers in two age groups in the lab while they slept. Their brain patterns were monitored while sleeping, along with eye movements and hormone³ secretions⁴.

 

The data show that around the full moon, brain activity related to deep sleep dropped by 30 percent. People also took five minutes longer to fall asleep, and they slept for twenty minutes less time overall. Study participants felt as though their sleep was poorer when the moon was full, and they showed diminished levels of melatonin（褪黑激素）, a hormone known to regulate sleep and wake cycles.

 

"This is the first reliable evidence that a lunar rhythm can modulate⁵ sleep structure in humans when measured under the highly controlled conditions of a circadian laboratory study protocol⁶ without time cues," the researchers say.

 

Cajochen adds that this circalunar rhythm might be a relic⁷ from a past in which the moon could have synchronized⁸ human behaviors for reproductive or other purposes, much as it does in other animals. Today, the moon's hold over us is usually masked by the influence of electrical lighting⁹ and other aspects of modern life.

 

The researchers say it would be interesting to look more deeply into the anatomical（解剖的） location of the circalunar clock and its molecular¹⁰ and neuronal underpinnings. And, they say, it could turn out that the moon has power over other aspects of our behavior as well, such as our cognitive¹¹ performance and our moods.

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