Day 10 - Strange influence

I tried to take a nap but didn't succeed so instead I made another coffee. Spent my last night watching series and then I slept for maybe five hours. It's full moon outside and I think it influences our sleep; the first time I actually realized it was a few years ago when I was walking to school with a few classmates and one said how bad she slept, then another one and another.. the same day we had physics (with that super old teacher) and she noticed that the majority of us were tired or daydreaming and that's when she told us that she didn't sleep at all last night, but that it's because of the full moon and that's become a habit for her. It's not a fixed rule - I don't always get sleepless nights when it's full moon, but the quality of my sleep decreases. I thought it was a pretty interesting process so I wanted to find out more about it. Apparently some peoples' sleep is bad or inexistent in this period, others have the best sleep ever, with a lot of dreams.

"In a 2008 article for the Arizona Republic, Clay Thompson refers to a study a few years ago in which researchers from the Austrian Society for Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research studied the sleep patterns of 391 people from various European countries. They found eight percent of those surveyed had difficulty sleeping. On the other hand, 25 percent said they sleep unusually well when the moon is full. Why a full moon keeps some people awake apparently is a mystery.

Many disorders seem to follow the phases of the moon. Epilepsy and headaches often follow this cycle. Some people don’t sleep on the night of the full moon. Scientists have proved that the phases of the moon really have an effect on the mind.
Actually, the Moon has influenced life and the mind of people since the beginning of time. The cave men believed that the Moon was a God. They picture it in many cave drawings. Down through the ages and even today many cultures and religions worship the Moon.
The Moon controls the ebb and flow of liquids, be it fleshly fluids or the powerful flood of the ocean tides. Many calendars and almanacs include Moon Phase Planting Guides and even Fishing Guides.
Everybody knows such expression as “mood madness”, in fact, it close to the truth. The word “lunatic” is descended from the Latin word “luna” that means moon. You may not believe that the moon can cause a person to go mad, but the full moon seems to have an effect on emotional condition. It has been noticed that cell block fights, riots and general contention among inmates increase in the periods of full moon.
That’s why scientists advise to keep a close watch on the prisoners, and suggest the policemen to be more alert than usual during the time of full moon. There may a few “loonies” wandering the streets.                                  
Animals are also influenced by the moon. One study reports that animals are twice as likely to bite people during the time of full moon.  Take to your consideration the creatures of legends and myths. Thus werewolves need the light of the full moon to display the change, and vampires walk the night beneath the light of the moon.
All these facts confirm that it should come as no surprise that, when the moon is full, some people may suffer from insomnia, nightmares, strange dreams, and some people even sleepwalk. There is one more interesting fact that some people sleep better when the moon is full, even if its shine falls into their faces."

  Looks like a nebula

Personally, I love the moon, being it full or not - it gives the night a more mystical air. Here's a photo I took last night, kind of blurry but it was with zoom, no flash, and my camera is crap so the pic is below average quality. As a kid I was afraid of the moon; it all started when I was in the 2nd grade and went on an excursion with some kids that were older; we visited a zoo, and those kids started saying that owls are bad luck. On the way home it was already night and the full moon was up and the same idiots were telling us that seeing an owl and the full moon in the same day means that we're going to die. Then the bus broke, so that pretty much scared the shit out of us. But eventually things turned out to be ok, we got home safe, but every time I was seeing the full moon outside, I was hiding under my sheets and was literally scared to get out of bed. Add the fear of dark to that and you get the perfect combination.