How Does the Moon Effect Dreams

Have you ever noticed that it is sometimes quite difficult to fall asleep, and your dreams are rather strange and uneasy in that period? Many people believe that it depends only on their emotional condition while others are convinced the moon is the one to blame. Another question is how these dreams may change people’s waking life. Scientists from all over the world have been already trying to find an explanation for many years. A lot of theories and different points of view concerning these questions have been developed. However, it is still unclear what can influence our dreams and whether they really have any meaning.

General Researches

While many people started to complain about poor sleep quality during the full moon (that is also called the hunter’s moon or the harvest moon), many scholars could not find any connection between these two phenomena and were very skeptical as to this issue. Moreover, they claimed that it does not even matter whether there is a new moon, as well as horned or full one in the sky – people’s condition should not depend on any moon phase.

However, everything changed when a thorough study of different phases of the moon and their impact on people’s dreams was conducted in Basel in Switzerland. A group of scholars from the University of Basel led by a chronobiologist Christian Cajochen carried out a four-year-long experiment with thirty-three volunteers. Their condition was analyzed including the activity of their brains, hormones, eye movements and the overall state of health. As a result, it was found that on those days when the moon is full, general human sleep patterns become different. Particularly, this phase of the moon leads to the decreasing of the brain activity responsible for deep sleep by 30%. In addition, it usually takes several minutes longer to fall asleep in case the moon is considered completely full. It was also observed that at such a night, many people may also sleep less than at a usual one. It was detected that the sleep duration was 20 minutes shorter.

Main Theories of the Moon Impact

Nowadays we have a bunch of probable explanations concerning the fact that human sleep is rather alarming around the full phase of the moon. During these days, people see strange dreams, and in most cases, it is difficult to recall them in the morning.

In general, four main theories are usually considered:

• The impact of Earth’s magnetic field;
• The problem of excessive light;
• The impact of the human psyche;
• The effect of lunar phases on water molecules in the human organism.

The first theory boasts the highest validity and recognition among scholars. It is already proven that the moon exerts an influence on the magnetic field of our planet. If compared with Earth, the moon does not have any protection from the solar wind. It is a function of a magnetic field. On those days when the full moon is observed, it gets into the magnetic tail of our planet. This process just coincides with a lunar day. The solar wind affects the moon staying in Earth’s magnetic tail, and therefore it influences Earth as well. As a result, it has a direct impact on a human pineal gland. This small organ is responsible for DMT production, which may explain the raised intensity of our dreams during the full moon.

The second theory has a lower validity though it is also rather popular among researchers. It sounds quite logical but at the same time, it cannot be confirmed by any conducted experiments. The point is that it is difficult for people to sleep when the light is too bright. When the moon in the night sky is full, it is much lighter outside than on other days, and you see the moon in the window. This factor decreases the melatonin production which is possible only in darkness. Therefore, people often tend to wake up during full moons. This theory also explains why human dreams seem to be more vivid in this period of a lunar cycle. It is proven that people better remember the last dreams they saw before waking up. Taking into account that they wake up oftener on these days due to the moon, they remember a higher number of dreams and consider them to be brighter.

The third explanation is directly connected with the human psyche. This theory is rather psychological than a scientific one. The matter is that people are too obsessed with a thought that the moon really influences their dreams and health state in general. They are following the moon phases, read special calendars and make many decisions according to them. For instance, many people grow fruit and vegetables based on a lunar calendar. As a result, they may feel a negative effect of the full moon just because they believe that it should be so. It implies that the human psyche is responsible for these so-called negative impacts. However, this explanation cannot find a reason for those people who do not know about all these phases and calendars at all but suffer from the poor sleep quality at certain periods of time which coincide with this phase of the moon.

The last theory is connected with the moon’s impact on water. It is a well-known fact that the moon works like a magnet towards everything on Earth including water, which leads to regular high tides. The theory implies that the moon can have the same effect on the human organism since it contains so much water. As a result, human sleep is also affected. However, this explanation is not confirmed since it is generally considered that the moon can influence only open water. In addition, the gravitational force of the moon cannot be changed by its phase. Therefore, the problem should be the same all the time.

What Do Dreams Mean According to Lunar Days?

Many people believe that our dreams always have some meaning. You just need to learn how to interpret them correctly. Lunar days can tell you a lot about your dreams and give a clue on how to act on a certain day.