Are Children Like Werewolves? Full Moon and Its Association with Sleep and Activity Behaviors in an International...

Area of Science:

• Chronobiology
• Pediatric Sleep and Activity

Background:

• The potential influence of lunar cycles on human behavior, particularly sleep and physical activity, remains a topic of interest.
• Previous studies have yielded mixed results, necessitating larger, diverse investigations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between moon phases and sleep and activity patterns in children.
• To determine if lunar cycles affect nocturnal sleep duration, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and sedentary time (SED).

Main Methods:

• An observational, cross-sectional study utilizing 33,710 accelerometer recordings from 5812 children aged 9-11 years across 12 countries.
• Sleep and activity data were collected over seven consecutive days using 24-h waist-worn accelerometers.
• Data were analyzed across three moon phases: full moon (±4 days), half moon (±5-9 days), and new moon (±10-14 days).

Main Results:

• A statistically significant, albeit small, reduction in nocturnal sleep duration was observed during the full moon phase (approximately 5 minutes shorter compared to the new moon).
• Differences in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and sedentary time (SED) between moon phases were negligible and not statistically significant.
• No significant variations in these associations were found across different global study sites.

Conclusions:

• Sleep duration in children showed a minor decrease during the full moon, representing about a 1% reduction compared to the new moon.
• Lunar phases were not significantly associated with children's physical activity levels or sedentary behavior.
• The clinical significance of the observed minimal reduction in sleep duration during the full moon is questionable.