Did you see the full moon last night? Spectacular! I snapped this photo of the moon illuminating a cinematic moonbeam extending from Vermont’s Green Mountains to Rosslyn’s boathouse. It was a breathtakingly beautiful prologue for the full moon insomnia that Susan and I experienced last night (and the full moon hangover that I’ve been enduring today.)
Have you ever noticed that it’s more difficult to sleep during a full moon? Not for everyone, apparently. But definitely for us. And the full moon, insomnia/hangover 2-step? Yep. That too.
People have long reported that it is harder to get to sleep and remain asleep when the moon is full, and even after a seemingly good night’s rest, there can be a faint sluggishness—a sort of full-moon hangover—that is not present on other days.
[…]
We, like every other species on Earth, evolved on a particular planet with a particular set of astronomical cycles—day and night, full moons and less full—and our circadian systems adapted. It’s hard to say where the internal clock is in, say, a flowering plant, but in humans, it’s likely in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, a tiny region of the brain near the optic nerve involved in the production of melatonin, certain neurotransmitters and other time-keeping chemicals, all in a rhythm consistent with both its terrestrial and cosmic surroundings.
(Source: TIME.com)
Full moon, check. Full moon melatonin dip, check. Full moon insomnia, check. Full moon hangover, check.
Wait. Is full moon insomnia really even a thing?!
While lunar insomnia isn’t an officially recognized medical condition, it’s a term often used to describe the sleep disturbances that some people associate with the lunar cycle, particularly the full moon. Research has shown there can be subtle changes in sleep patterns coinciding with the lunar cycle, but these effects vary greatly among people.
(Source: Calm Blog)
After snapping that dramatic image last night after dining with Susan and my nephews at Turtle Island in Willsboro, I felt good and tired. Relaxed. Ready for bed.
And I fell asleep. Swiftly, as I recall. So far, so good.
But I awoke about an hour later. Susan, also unable to sleep, had slipped out of the bedroom to read. I rolled over and tried to fall back asleep. But I couldn’t.
Suddenly I was “wired instead of tired”.
Lunar insomnia is marked by the moon having a negative impact on your ability to sleep. If you find yourself wired instead of tired come bedtime during a full moon, that could be considered lunar insomnia. Often, people who think they’re impacted by lunar insomnia might feel the effects a few days before or after the full moon, too.
(Source: Sleepopolis)
I checked on Susan. Reading. Wide awake.
I tried to go to sleep again. Unsuccessfully. For a very, very, very long time. Even after Susan came back to bed. And fell asleep. I drifted a little as inky black drifted into gray black, and then into daylight.
Morning meetings. Midday meetings. Afternoon meetings. The full moon hangover persisted. An unfortunate cost to witnessing last night’s moonlight sonata! Perhaps tonight will be better…
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