THE strange powers of a
full moon have been
proved by scientists.
By: Tom Morgan

They say it ruins a good
night’s sleep – cutting the
time we are slumbering by
20 minutes and reducing
deep sleep by nearly a
third.
Many people claim a full
moon makes them restless.
It has been linked to
higher crime rates owing to
its gravitational pull,
causing a rush of blood to
the head.
Now scientists at the
University of Basel in
Switzerland have
connected lunar cycles and
sleep behaviour in a study
of 30 people.

This is the first
reliable evidence
that lunar rhythm
can modulate sleep
structure
Professor Christian
Cajochen
The findings, in the journal
Current Biology, suggested
that around a full moon,
volunteers took five
minutes longer to drop off,
felt their sleep was poorer
and dozed for 20 minutes
less.
Their blood had less
melatonin, a hormone that
regulates sleep and wake
cycles.
The university’s Professor
Christian Cajochen said:
“This is the first reliable
evidence that lunar rhythm
can modulate sleep
structure.”

http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/417557/Slept-badly-Blame-it-on-the-full-moon