You’re Not Imagining It—Illinois’ Full Moon Might Ruin Your Sleep

Are you plagued by a couple nights of sleep problems every month and wondering what you can blame them on? It could be the moon's fault!

Common Causes of Sleep Problems

We all know that caffeine too late in the afternoon or too much screen time before bed can lead to major sleep issues, but what if you stray away from both of those things and still have major problems falling asleep a few consecutive days every month?

When I was a teen and still living with my parents I would often hear my mom complain about the full moon wreaking havoc on her sleep schedule, and I always thought she was nuts. Now as I get older, I think she might have been on to something.

Does a Full Moon Cause Sleep Issues?

For the last three nights I have had major issues falling asleep even though I was dog tired when I've gone to bed, and then I looked out the window and noticed it's a full moon in Illinois.

READ MORE: 5 Tricks Illinoisans Swear By to Get Better Sleep 

Last night as my husband was talking about the Strawberry Moon, I casually said something like, "yeah, it's the reason I can't sleep", and he gave me the dreaded "you're nuts" look. This morning I mentioned having sleep issues thanks to the full moon to Sweet Lenny and he too looked at me like I'm crazy, so enough is enough!

I'm going to throw this information in all the doubters' faces to prove my full moon sleep troubles aren't just in my head!

The Sleep Foundation says that "compelling evidence suggests that lunar cycles may compromise sleep, with the full moon phase being most disruptive."

Ha! See, I'm not crazy!

Seriously though, the three major reasons a full moon can cause sleep issues according to the Sleep Foundation are:

1. Moonlight - Full moons are brighter, and this can disrupt our internal body clock.
2. Electromagnetism - Full moons can affect Earth’s electromagnetic field, which our bodies can detect and potentially affect hormone levels, blood flow, and sleep quality.
3. Gravity - The moon's gravitational pull has a big effect on ocean tides, and our bodies are mostly made of water, so you put two and two together.

I guess the moral of this story is; if you have major sleep issues each time there's a full moon, you are NOT crazy, and there's scientific proof to back you up!