Full moon does not cause insomnia

Full moon does not cause insomnia.

(22.08.2010) Since time immemorial, the vernacular, handed down in a full moon, people suffer from insomnia. However, numerous studies have found that full moon phases are not responsible for sleep problems or even sleepwalking. Only the thought and belief in it could make people sleep.

The moon has always been said to have mystical powers. Even at the sight of a full moon some people feel anxiety. They think bad things happen in a full moon night. In addition, sleep would be disturbed by the moon. All nonsense, say scientists and have observed the sleep behavior of humans during a full moon phase and evaluated.

In an Austrian study, physicians specializing in the field of sleep research have observed several different subjects over six years. The participants had to keep a sleeping diary. In this they kept track of when and how often they slept poorly. The result was clear, there was no connection between full moon and sleep problems. On the contrary: a quarter of the participants even slept very well during a full moon phase. This is confirmed by the German Employees Health Insurance (DAK) in Bavaria. Many studies would have come to similar conclusions.

So if people sleep badly during a full moon, they are themselves guilty, argues Professor Jürgen Zulley of the University Hospital Regensburg. It is therefore pure imagination, if people sleep badly during this time. Even the slightly brighter night can not be held responsible for the sleep problems. Because the moon has a lower light intensity than many lanterns, so the sleep researchers. "So even the supposedly brighter night at full moon can not be to blame for the unrest in some beds," said Tanja Knieler, from the health insurance DAK. Knieler therefore advises sensitive people to darken the room with the roller blinds at night, to cuddle up in a blanket and, at best, not to think about the full moon at all.

In surveys, 40 percent of Germans say they are "moon-sensitive". Psychologists explain this fact with the fact that for certain results of a negative nature, a reason is sought, if there is no plausible. If a terrible accident happens or you can not actually fall asleep well during a full moon, then the moon phase is held responsible. Expectation then becomes a kind of certainty. At the next full moon phase, "moon-sensitive people" can not fall asleep again. Because it is full moon and you expect sleep problems. The same can be observed with other phenomena. Thus, the weekday Friday is said to be similar in combination with the 13th day of the month. But not only in Germany, many people believe in the connection insomnia and full moon. The word "full moon" exists in more than 6000 languages. (Sb)

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Image: Michael Grabscheit