Born on Full Moon, Don't sleep for days?

Across the centuries, many a person has uttered the phrase “There must be a full moon out there” in an attempt to explain weird happenings at night. Indeed, the Roman goddess of the moon bore a name that remains familiar to us today: Luna, prefix of the word “lunatic.” Greek philosopher Aristotle and Roman historian Pliny the Elder suggested that the brain was the “moistest” organ in the body and thereby most susceptible to the pernicious influences of the moon, which triggers the tides. Belief in the “lunar lunacy effect,” or “Transylvania effect,” as it is sometimes called, persisted in Europe through the Middle Ages, when humans were widely reputed to transmogrify into werewolves or vampires during a full moon.

I just don't understand why it changes some people. I know for a fact that usually the day before, the night of and the day after a full moon I don't sleep. Nothing seems to help.

A full moon usually for me has a really odd vibe, but it's a good vibe at the same time. Doesn't effect my sleep though. I love looking at the moon, there's something so calming about it, especially a full one. But I have heard before that it can effect people's sleep and sometimes even daily routines in the run up to it, so I don't rule it out. I just wish myself that I could figure out why!

I think it is unlikely that the moon has anything to do with it. I grew up hearing old wives tales about the moon and behavior, but I have not observed any type of correlation.

People say, "Oh they acted crazy, the Moon pulls the tides, the tides are made of water, the human body is mostly water, the Moon must affect the human body." (...) You can ask the question, what is the tidal force of the Moon on your cranium? (...) Because if that were severe, it could be messing with you, right? So you do the calculation, and it turns out, if you were one of these people who sleep with a lot of pillows, and one of the pillows is kind of leaning on your head overnight, the pressure from that pillow on your head is a trillion times greater than the tidal force of the Moon across your cranium. But nobody talks about the effects of down pillows on your behavior the next day.

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reply to post by sarahlm


Oh yes there is a very good vibe for me also. Nothing negative but a mesmerizing hypnotic type of effect. It is especially during the night of the full moon I have to be outside. It has something to do with "children of the night", as a psychic once told an old companion of mine at her reading but this part kept blocking her reading. It's enchanting, adventurous and very fun always.

As a child I would always talk my friends into sneaking out to meet in the night. We would just hangout and stuff but I was always the ring leader.

The moon and madness reconsidered. J Affect Disord. 1999 Apr;53(1):99-106. Belief that the full moon is associated with psychiatric disturbance persists despite 50 years research showing no association. This article traces the historical roots of belief in the power of the moon to cause disorders the mind, especially insanity and epilepsy. Putative mechanisms of lunar action are critiqued. It is proposed that modern findings showing lack of lunar effect can be reconciled with pre-modern beliefs in the moon's power through a mechanism of sleep deprivation. Prior to the advent of modern lighting the moon was a significant source of nocturnal illumination that affected sleep-wake cycle, tending to cause sleep deprivation around the time of full moon. This partial sleep deprivation would have been sufficient to induce mania/hypomania in susceptible bipolar patients and seizures in patients with seizure disorders. The advent of modern lighting attenuated this lunar effect, especially in modern urban areas, where most 20th century studies of lunar effects on the mind have been conducted. The hypothesis presented in this article is open to empirical validation or falsification. Potential tests for the sleep-deprivation hypothesis of lunar action are discussed.

I thought this was interesting.

Originally posted by watchitburn
I think it is unlikely that the moon has anything to do with it. I grew up hearing old wives tales about the moon and behavior, but I have not observed any type of correlation.

I will always believe there is a correlation, for two reasons.

My mother used to be an operator for a large telephone company/corporation. On full moons her and all the other operators noticed that people were much more belligerent and argumentative on the phones during full moon nights than they were any other night. Reason two: When I was younger my father once told me that more police officers are put on duty during full moons. I found that kind of hard to believe and shrugged it off. A few years later I was in high school and we had one of those days where a cop comes in to talk to all the kids about drinking & driving and drugs and all that stuff. After he had finished speaking and everybody was leaving the classroom I walked over to him and asked him if there really are more cops on duty during a full moon than any other night, or if that was just a myth. He said, and I quote him on this, "Oh yeah we usually have more on than any other night. When there's a full moon some people seem to... lose their inhibitions."

It depends on really how you feel yourself. I do not need any proof for myself because I experience these things myself. You just know because it is a wonderful feeling and you do feel kind of different.

The full moon is when there's an "alignment" sun-earth-moon and the new moon is when the "alignment" sun-moon-earth occurs. Once they happen, a doorway, that will last a few days, is created... That is ancient & almost lost knowledge... During these periods, if you know how to harness the energy, miracles can happen...

For sure the Moon has a buzzy energy to it for me.
The more full the less sleep I get.

This one specifically,astrology wise, is especially active.
It is the first full moon after the equinox.
That's why Easter is Sunday.
(Crazy Jews and Christians following astrology but rarely admitting it)

The moon is in charge of imagination, so some say when it's full
their mind is overfilled with ideas to the point that they can't shut it off or sleep.

reply to post by chisisiCoptos


Many Womens' hormonal cycles average 28 days and hormonal fluctuations influence moods and sleep patterns. Men have a 'cycle' as well - at least the ones I've lived with do. For some people, certain parts of their 'cycle' might match with particular moon phases, giving the impression of a causal relationship.

My guess at any rate

I do love being outside late at night with a full moon up high casting a silvery glow on everything. Almost magical. Was at a beach one night when the moon was out like that and it was amazing.

I love a thin sliver moon too, though I don't know quite why.

reply to post by Jessica6


Very, very, magical indeed. If you could imagine just the right temperature, full moon, you can just raise your arms a bit and feel the moons energy.