5 ways a full moon is believed to impact health

There are numerous prevalent misconceptions about how the full moon affects everything from sleep quality to mental and cardiovascular health. However, just a few of these have been demonstrated in studies. For a long time, physicians and philosophers attributed behavioral changes to the pull of the moon. After all, the term "lunatic" was coined to describe mental changes that corresponded to the lunar cycle.
The term "lunar effect" refers to the concept that health and behavior are altered at various periods of the lunar cycle, with some suggesting that it can affect anything from reproductive health to sleep quality and beyond. During the 1970s, psychiatrist Arnold Lieber proposed that the moon affected the body's "biological tides" and altered human behavior, resulting in higher incidences of violence and homicide.
While many of these beliefs have subsequently been discredited, the possibility that people could be influenced by the moon's cycles is not wholly implausible. Some of them are mentioned below:

The full and bright moon may have an impact on the quality of your sleep. A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health. People slept longer and for fewer hours on evenings before the full moon. Other studies indicate that the full moon may be connected with reduced deep sleep and increased REM (rapid eye movement) delay. Sleep latency refers to the time between when you fall asleep and when you enter the first stage of REM sleep. So, increasing latency means it takes longer to reach REM sleep.


The human body has evolved to withstand eons of exposure to brightness and darkness. According to the National Institutes of Health, this has resulted in the creation of circadian rhythms that affect both physical and mental health. Issues like anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia can exacerbate during the full moon phase. When circadian rhythms shift, it can cause or worsen symptoms of some mental health issues.


In a 2013 study of male university students, researchers investigated the effects of altering lunar cycles on their cardiovascular systems. They discovered that blood pressure reduced by about 5 mm Hg during the new and full moon phases. Students also completed a step test. During full and new moons, their heart rate and blood pressure decreased. Furthermore, their heart rates returned to normal levels faster during full and new moons.


It is likely that the full moon influences sleep, which in turn affects people's energy levels during the day. Prior to artificial lighting, the full moon provided a significant amount of nighttime light. According to a 2021 study, for much of human history, individuals were more active at night during the full moon, and their activities and energy levels may have been linked with the moon's phases.

Moon phases may impact child delivery. A 2021 research of a huge data set containing 38.7 million births in France discovered minor but significant differences in birth trends related to lunar phases. Births increased with the full moon, in line with folk beliefs.