It is said that all folklore contains a seed of truth. Case in point: People are disturbed by the full moon. Not just lunatics, though this phenomena is where the term “lunatic” came from. A recent study suggests that even when blocked from view, the full moon disrupts sleep patterns. The Article, cited below, states that delta waves produced during deepest sleep were reduced as much as thirty percent.
For those who have worked the night shift at a hospital or nursing home, this news is not a surprise. It barely makes news, except for the fact that the study finally got done. These folks have seen the evidence year after year, but no one has really taken a scientific interest until now. I’m glad we finally have the technology to prove some of the claims that have been made down through the ages.
Perhaps we can once again turn our keen and penetrating intelligence to shining the light of science upon the things that go bump in the night, instead of drowning them out with headphones. Perhaps the sleeping Goliath of science stirs and will soon wake to find that the world is still as strange and magical as it once was, but now we can prove it. Perhaps.
It brings to mind a certain episode of Ghost Hunters, during which Jay and Grant catch some wild thermal fluctuations during a psychic reading Jay was receiving at the time. I have never seen this done before or since, and would love to see more work like this.
If you had one paranormal investigative wish, what would you wish for?
Work Cited:
Evidence that the Lunar Cycle Influences Human Sleep
Christian Cajochen, Songül Altanay-Ekici, Mirjam Münch, Sylvia Frey, Vera Knoblauch, Anna Wirz-Justice
Current Biology – 25 July 2013
