The myth surrounding strange nights and a full moon is no longer just the stuff of monster movies. It’s now backed by science. According to a new study, children may not sleep as well if there is a full moon. Is the wolfman to blame?
MOON UNIT ZAPPA ISN’T THE ONLY WEIRD ONE
Scientists from a children’s hospital in Canada showed data from over 5,000 children, from 12 countries.The wide range included Portugal, Kenya, South Africa, the UK, the US, Colombia, Finland, Canada, Brazil, India and Australia. During the experiment, these children wore a Fitbit-like a device that recorded body motion and collected sleep data twenty-four hours a day seven days a week (24/7 in layman’s terms). The results were absolutely astounding, sort of.
RESULTS WERE NOT ASTOUNDING
Alright, so the results were not that astounding. No connection was made to the theory that children had increased energy around a full moon or that a sleuth of walking dead werewolves came about either. However, there is was something to take away from the study. It turns out that children’s sleep time was about 5 minutes less on nights with a full moon, compared to that of a new moon. This translates to about 1 percent of children’s total time of sleep. It may not seem like much, but for any parent trying to get a good night’s rest, every minute counts. So what’s the reason for this odd side effect?
INCREASED LIGHT HAS IMPACT ON SLEEP
After the extensive research, the best possible reason as to why children lost 5 minutes of sleep on a full lunar night was due to brightness. Yes, it turns out that the minuscule amount of light during the given scenario is just enough to keep a child awake. It says the study was published in a professional journal but perhaps it was something else. This could all be a ploy from Monsters Incorporated in order to trick kids into thinking there’s nothing to fear. Sure, blame the light they say. That will let their guard down. 5 minutes is all a good monster needs to sneak in there and scare the living snot out of some kid.
