If you have trouble sleeping, it could be because of a full moon. Scientists say there is a link between the Moon's cycle and sleeping patterns. They say that on nights when there is a full moon, people could have more problems sleeping. The reason for this could be the Moon's brightness. When there is a full moon, the extra brightness in the night sky could make sleeping more difficult. The scientists said moonlight is "so bright to the human eye" that even if there is no other light, moonlight could have a role in changing our sleep patterns at night.
The scientists did a study of the sleep patterns of over 500 people. Each person had a special wristband to track their sleep. The study included 98 people from a rural village that had no access to electricity or other light sources. Scientists compared their sleep patterns to 464 people living in a U.S. city, which had lots of light pollution. The scientists said people in the rural village and in the big city got less sleep on the nights before the full moon. The artificial light in cities does not seem to affect sleeping patterns. The scientists said: "Human sleep is synchronised with lunar phases."