Why Full Moons
= Less Sleep
Full Moon = Fewer Zzz’s?
If you find yourself tossing and turning tonight, you’re not alone. Several studies have shown that people truly do sleep differently around the full moon.
A team at the University of Washington found that people went to bed later and slept 46 to 58 minutes less in the days before the full moon.
A Swiss study published in Current Biology observed that during the full moon, participants took five minutes longer to fall asleep, slept twenty minutes less overall, and experienced about thirty percent less deep sleep.
Another study of more than three hundred sleep clinic patients found lower sleep efficiency and less deep sleep on full-moon nights.
Work with The Moon
Sleep neurologist Joanna Fong Isariyawongse explains, “We see a clear lunar modulation of sleep, with sleep decreasing and a later onset of sleep in the days preceding a full moon.”
Not every study agrees, but there’s enough evidence to suggest our bodies remain subtly attuned to the rhythm of moonlight.
Each moon cycle is a reminder that we are still part of nature, not separate from it.
If you tend to feel more alert or emotional during a full moon, try working with that energy rather than against it.
Tips to Sleep Better
Here are a few simple practices can help you unwind and rest more easily:
🛁 Take an Epsom Salt Bath
A warm bath with magnesium-rich Epsom salts can ease tension, lower cortisol, and prepare your body for sleep. Add a few drops of lavender or bergamot oil and soak for fifteen minutes to help your muscles and mind soften.
🕯️ Create Evening Calm
Dim the lights early and avoid screens for at least thirty minutes before bed. Soft lighting helps melatonin rise naturally, signaling your body that it’s time to rest.
📖 Journal Before Bed
If your mind feels active, write for a few minutes. Reflect on what you’re grateful for or what you’re ready to release as the moon reaches its peak. Writing can help quiet looping thoughts and create emotional ease.
💤 Try a Simple Breathing Practice
Slow your exhale. Inhale for four counts, exhale for six. A longer exhale calms the nervous system and encourages deeper rest.
Even if you sleep lightly tonight, let the full moon remind you of your natural rhythms and the beauty of slowing down enough to notice them.
