Who Blames the Moon for Poor Sleep? An Exploratory Online Survey

Area of Science:

• Sleep Science
• Environmental Psychology
• Lunar Studies

Background:

• The belief that lunar phases impact human sleep is widespread but lacks empirical validation.
• Factors influencing the attribution of poor sleep to the moon remain poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the frequency of attributing poor sleep to moon phases.
• To determine if this attribution varies across the lunar cycle.
• To identify personal and environmental factors associated with "moon blaming".

Main Methods:

• An online survey of 1815 participants assessed sleep quality, personal/environmental factors, and moon phase attention.
• Logistic regression with stepwise Akaike information criterion selection identified predictors of moon attribution.
• Questionnaire timing was analyzed across the lunar cycle.

Main Results:

• The moon was the most frequently endorsed environmental cause of poor sleep (36%).
• Strongest correlates of moon attribution included weather complaints, tracking lunar phases, older age, and female gender.
• Moon-related sleep complaints peaked in the week following the full moon.

Conclusions:

• Perceived lunar effects on sleep are influenced by attributional processes and expectations.
• Factors beyond the moon itself, such as weather and psychological predispositions, play a significant role.
• Beliefs about the moon's impact on sleep may be more strongly linked to psychological and environmental attributions than actual lunar influence.