As if it were a legendary creature, the cycle of the moon affects our nocturnal behavior. Scientists at the University of Basel have shown what until now was a mere popular belief: the quality of our sleep varies according to the position of the moon and worsens during the full moon period. That is, human biorhythms adapt to the astronomical rhythm.
During the experiment and to rule out the influence of the amount of light perceived at night, various aspects were analyzed such as sleep structure, encephalographic activity during REM phase, and secretion of melatonin and cortisol. To avoid predetermination, researchers and volunteers were never aware of the object of the study.
The results of the research were very revealing: in days close to the full moon, the encephalographic activity decreased by 30 percent, the time to fall asleep increased by five minutes and the total duration was reduced by 20 minutes. These changes were associated with a subjective decrease in sleep and in the amount of melatonin secreted.
The cycle of the Moon is characterized by four phases visible from Earth: new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter, and is completed in approximately 29.5 days. The relationship between the phases of the moon and genetic and molecular activity in certain marine species (circalunar rhythmicity) had already been demonstrated, but this is the first time that it has been extrapolated to humans. In any case, the study only had 33 participants, so new analyzes must be carried out to certify the research published in the journal Current Biology .
