The Full Moon: Is It Messing With Us?

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

• Scientific investigation into ER busyness and crime rates shows no evidence that the full moon increases patient admissions or criminal activity.  Copied to clipboard!
• Research suggests the full moon cycle significantly affects human sleep patterns, causing people to sleep less in the days leading up to it, potentially due to subtle magnetic field changes rather than just moonlight brightness.  Copied to clipboard!
• While anecdotal evidence suggests menstrual cycles sync with the moon, large-scale data analysis from a period tracking app found no overall synchronization between the menstrual cycle and the lunar cycle.  Copied to clipboard!

Segments Expand All Collapse All

Public Beliefs on Full Moon

Copied to clipboard!

(00:00:27)

• Key Takeaway: The public widely believes the full moon causes erratic behavior, affecting everything from general conduct to healthcare work environments.
• Summary: Producer Meryl Horne gathered street interviews where people claimed the full moon makes others ‘wild’ and ‘carnal,’ leading some to avoid going out. Healthcare workers, including nurses, often report that patients behave stranger during full moon nights. Some even suggest full moon hazard pay due to perceived increases in difficult situations.

Moon’s Effect on Animals

Copied to clipboard!

(00:07:06)

• Key Takeaway: The moon influences various animal behaviors, though the commonly cited wolf howling is unsubstantiated, while coyotes howl more on new moons.
• Summary: While wolves do not howl more during a full moon, coyotes howl more on new moon nights, and some owls call out more when the moon is darker. Full moons correlate with increased hatching for some birds, mating dances for a specific worm, and increased feeding for nocturnal primates. Corals also release their spawns a few nights after a full moon.

ER Busyness and Full Moons

Copied to clipboard!

(00:08:45)

• Key Takeaway: Decades of research, including a foundational study by Dr. Wendy Coates, show no statistical increase in ER admissions, trauma severity, or deaths during full moons.
• Summary: Dr. Wendy Coates’ initial study and subsequent global reviews found no evidence that emergency rooms become busier during a full moon. In fact, some data suggested slightly fewer or less severe traumas, possibly because the increased moonlight makes activities like driving or committing crimes more visible. The persistence of this belief in ERs is attributed to team bonding during predictably intense, though not moon-related, shifts.

Lunar Influence on Human Sleep

Copied to clipboard!

(00:16:27)

• Key Takeaway: Studies across remote and urban populations show a consistent, measurable reduction in sleep duration leading up to the full moon, suggesting a non-visual lunar effect.
• Summary: Professor Horacio de la Iglesia observed that people in remote, light-pollution-free areas slept significantly less leading up to a full moon, initially attributed to moonlight brightness. This pattern persisted even in urban settings like Seattle, suggesting the effect is not solely due to visible light. The sleep data showed a sinusoidal oscillation across the lunar month, which was also observed in historical magnetic field data.

Mechanism: Gravity vs. Magnetism

Copied to clipboard!

(00:25:27)

• Key Takeaway: The gravitational pull of the moon on the human body is minuscule, but its influence on Earth’s magnetic field, which humans possess proteins (cryptochrome) to sense, is a potential mechanism for subconscious effects.
• Summary: The gravitational force exerted by the moon on the human body is negligible, less than that of a nearby tall building. However, the moon appears to modulate the Earth’s magnetic field in a sinusoidal pattern mirroring the sleep data observed. Humans possess cryptochrome proteins, which are known to sense magnetic fields in migratory animals, suggesting a possible, though unproven, link to lunar influence on physiology.

Menstrual Cycles and Lunar Sync

Copied to clipboard!

(00:34:03)

• Key Takeaway: Initial small studies suggested menstrual periods might align with full or new moons, but analysis of over seven million cycles found no statistically significant synchronization.
• Summary: Professor Charlotte Helfrik-Förster initially found synchronization in her personal data and a small cohort of 22 women, noting the 29-day cycle length matches the lunar cycle. However, when she expanded the data set to over 100 women, the synchronization disappeared. A subsequent analysis of 7.5 million cycles from a period tracking app confirmed no overall link between menstruation and the moon’s phases.