Every once in a while, you might get a chance to stare at a full moon in a clear sky. When this does happen, it’s easy to see why human beings have been fascinated with the glowing, otherworldly orb floating outside of our planet. The moon is ingrained in human mythology. Think werewolves transforming under the influence of the full moon or the fact that our word “lunatic” is based on accounts of men and women being driven mad by the moon. So why are we so captivated by the moon?

This recent Spirituality and Health article tries to tackle one of the many reasons that is not quite understood by science: the moon’s effect on human sleep cycles. Throughout time, there have always been reports of the moon having a strange influence over people. Modern science has made advancements to help explain the gravitational relationship between Earth and the moon, and the moon’s effect on the tides, but there is less evidence to explain why the moon has the ability to change human behavior.

The Spirituality and Health piece discusses a study that was conducted by Swiss researchers in the year 2000. They were studying sleep cycles but did not even consider the connection to the moon until over 10 years later. The findings were astounding. Researchers found that during the 3-4 nights leading up to the full moon, subjects of the study slept 30% less and took an average of five extra minutes to fall asleep. These numbers are significant enough to draw a connection. Perhaps there are other explanations like end of the month stress or simply more light pouring through the windows at night. That said, the results do seem to suggest a strong link between human sleep and the moon.

Hopefully in the future this knowledge will lead us to a greater understanding of the moon and how it affects our lives but until then we can only wonder about the mystery. Maybe the full moon reminds us how small we are in comparison to the universe and causes us to be restless. Maybe it’s the physical pull keeping us awake. Whatever the explanation, the moon remains a beautiful reminder of how much more is out there.