Does the Moon Affect Our Sleep?
March 10, 2023
During National Sleep Month in March, sleep experts have been offering tips and advice for better slumber. Scientists know more these days about sleep and its role in health. When we sleep, our bodies might be resting, but our brains certainly aren’t! Sleep is the time when the brain consolidates and stores memories, as well as cleaning out harmful wastes that could lead to memory problems, heart disease, depression and other health problems.
Sleep experts say that in these modern times, it’s challenging to determine natural human sleep patterns. We wake up to an alarm rather than with the rising sun. We extend our daytime into night with artificial light, and these days we might even beam that light right into our eyes with smartphones and tablets at bedtime, which can really mess up our natural sleep cycle.
So, to learn about inborn human sleep patterns, experts often observe the sleep habits of rural people who live without electricity. For example, to determine whether the phases of the moon influence human sleep patterns, University of Washington (UW) sleep experts recently compared the sleep patterns of students at their Seattle campus—certainly a plugged-in bunch—with the slumber habits of members of the Toba-Qom indigenous communities of northern Argentina, who for the most part have little access to electricity.
The UW scientists found that in the three to five days leading up to a full moon, people with little access to electricity go to sleep later and get fewer minutes of sleep. This seems logical—the moonlight would provide more hours in which to get things done. But the team also found that the urban college students’ sleep patterns were similar. Why would that be?
UW biology researcher Leandro Casiraghi suspects that our natural 24-hour cycle of sleep and wakefulness is tied to lunar phases. “In general, there has been a lot of suspicion that the phases of the moon could affect a behavior such as sleep—even though in urban settings with high amounts of light pollution, you may not know what the moon phase is unless you go outside or look out the window,” said Casiraghi. “At certain times of the month, the moon is a significant source of light in the evenings, and that would have been clearly evident to our ancestors thousands of years ago.”
Sleep experts say taking advantage of our natural sleep-wake rhythms can help us improve our sleep. Pain and disability can make it hard for older adults to sleep well—and poor-quality sleep, in turn, increases pain and disability. Here are some suggestions for better slumber:
Prioritize sleep. Just as we should make time for eating well and exercising, we need to get sleep on our schedule—and it’s not possible to truly “catch up” on lost sleep.
Go to bed and get up at the same time each day. Some people do all right with variable schedules, but those who are having trouble sleeping could benefit from maintaining a regular sleep schedule seven days a week.
Match your time in bed to your sleep need. Lying in bed awake can cause anxiety, and that can make it all the harder to sleep. Get up if you cannot sleep and try again after a short period of time.
Give your sleep space a makeover. Darken the room with window coverings if necessary, cut down on noise, and adjust bedding for a comfortable sleep temperature. Do not use the bed for paying bills or other activities that promote alertness.
Have a sleep-friendly daytime routine, as well. Get enough exercise, spend time in natural light, and limit alcohol. Alcohol can be dehydrating and disrupts your sleep schedule.
Consider your napping. 20- to 30-minute naps can be beneficial for people who need a little extra shuteye—but sleeping too much during the day can make it harder to sleep at night.
If sleep problems persist, consult an expert. Consider discussing it with your primary care provider or consult a sleep center. Sleep centers specialize in treating sleep disorders and are likely better able to address your concern than your primary care physician.
Source: IlluminAge AgeWise reporting on information from the University of Washington.