You may have noticed clearer night skies recently because we experienced a full moon. NASA reports that the incident, known as the Wolf Moon, began Thursday afternoon and ended Saturday morning. But did you notice any changes in your personal sleep patterns in the days before the full moon?
As the newest full moon began, a new study was released suggesting that a full moon can affect human sleep bicycles. Researchers have confirmed that more natural light is available after the sun goes down to a full moon.
The new research found that in the days before a full moon, people go to bed later in the evening and sleep for shorter periods.
The results of a study were reported in the publication Advances in science. The research was led by biology professor Horacio de la Iglesia of the University of Washington.
“When we looked at the data it was right there – we didn’t expect that pattern at all,” de la Iglesia said in a video about the results. He said the study provided clear evidence that a person’s sleep cycle is “synchronize”With changes the moon passes through.
The moon will take 27.3 days to orbit the Earth, but it will take 29.5 days to complete a full cycle from New Moon to New Moon. The new study measured the sleep patterns of the test subjects as the moon progressed through at least one full 29.5-day cycle. Some subjects were determined through two lunar cycles.
On average, people involved in the study slept about 52 minutes less on nights before a full moon. They also went to bed about 30 minutes later. The research showed that people had the latest bed times and the shortest amount of sleep through the nights that were three to five days before a full moon.
“I became one of the subjects of the study and when I looked back at my own data I couldn’t believe how my sleep had changed,” de la Iglesia said.
Effects on sleep in different areas
Previous studies by the de la Iglesia team and other research organizations have shown that accessibility electricity has a clear effect on sleep. The team therefore incorporated this element into their research.
The study included 98 people living in three different communities of Toba native people in Argentina. Each community had different access to electricity. One rural community did not have access to electricity, but a second had limited access. There was a third community in a more densely populated area with full access to electricity.
Sleep data were collected electronically from the individuals through wrist monitoring. The research team said they believe this method yielded more efficient data than some previous studies that relied solely on user-reported sleep data.
In addition to the indigenous communities, the researchers also studied sleep data on 464 college students in the Seattle, Washington area. These data were collected for separate study. The researchers said they found the same moon circle patterns in the sleep data from the students.
“Although the impact is greater strong in communities without access to electricity, the impact is being felt in communities with electricity, ”said de la Iglesia.
The scientists say more research is needed to help explain other causes for the changes in sleep patterns in the test subjects. Such causes may include biological differences in individuals or social patterns in communities.
My name is Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the University of Washington, Science Advances and NASA. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in this story
pattern – n. a particular way of doing something or repeating it often
circle – n. a series of events that occur in a specific order and are often repeated
synchronize – v. making something happen at the same time as something else
accessibility – n. the ability to use or participate in something
native – adj. extracted or naturally occurring in an area
monitor – n. a device used to measure something, such as heart rate
strong – adj. strong and healthy