Last night, we were treated to a beautiful pink supermoon - the largest and brightest moon of the year. It was glorious. But it also left us reaching for an extra strong coffee this morning.
Did anyone else have a *terrible* night's sleep?!
If you did, you're certainly not alone. Not only were we tossing and turning all night, but we also woke up way before our alarms (which never happens).
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But it's not a coincidence - in fact, researchers from the University of Basel in Switzerland found that on the nights around the full moon, people took longer to fall asleep; spent less time in a deep sleep; slept for less time and spoke about having had a poor sleep.
The study was a small group of just 33 people - but none of them had any idea the study was related to the impact of the moon.
So why does it cause us to have such a restless slumber?
Well, one theory is the brightness of the moon. And with last night's supermoon being the brightest of the year, that would certainly make sense.
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It was also the largest supermoon of 2020 due to its uneven orbit and the fact it was closer to Earth than any other supermoon has or will be this year. And it was seven per cent bigger and 15 per cent brighter than the average. Pretty impressive, but not so ideal for our sleep pattern.
Obviously, the brighter the moon, the lighter our bedrooms. In the same way our body clocks have a response to the time of day, it's suggested we could have a similar response to the cycles of the moon.
Added to that, if you found yourself waking up constantly throughout the night, the moon could also be responsible. Last week, a spokesperson at NASA told Tyla that after rising in the east, the supermoon would be visible all night.
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And with a relatively clear sky yesterday, having the light from the moon streaming through the window all night is bound to make us restless.
To help us understand the other ways the moon could have impacted out sleep, Tyla spoke to The Sleep Geek, James Wilson.
He explained: "My theory as to why we sleep worse at this time is that when we had predators, a full moon would make us more vulnerable to being attacked and eaten.
"Therefore our bodies are designed to sleep more fitfully and therefore the quality and quantity of our sleep to be worse."
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So it seems we could have been channelling our inner caveman last night, but some people think the energy from the moon itself could also be at play.
Some believe the energy from a particularly powerful moon like last night's pink supermoon could have a direct impact on our psyche and emotions. Apparently this can lead to us becoming unsettled - both while we're sleeping and during the day around the time of the full moon.
It would explain why we were tossing and turning all night.
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Astrologer Lisa Stardust told Tyla: "A full moon occurs when there's a polarity between the sun and the moon. This tug of war takes a toll on emotions and illuminates truths to be exposed.
"Being that it's close to earth, the moon (who in astrology represents emotions) has a greater affect on our inner sentiments - most of which we cannot express."
With poor sleep expected in days either side of the full moon, we could be in for another restless night. Maybe investing in a blackout blind would help?!
Featured Image Credit: UnsplashTopics: Life News, Sleep, Sleeping