Last Updated on October 3, 2017 by HodgePodgeDays
The last few days I’ve felt really stressy. I’m riddled with anxiety, and I’m trying to figure out why. The few friends I’ve spoken to about it have also wondered why now. Why? I have no idea. I have no clue what’s set this off and why I’m feeling this way. A chance conversation with a nurse friend made me look out of my window for the answer. Is the full moon making me anxious? Is full moon anxiety a thing?
A quick Internet search suggests it’s very, very possible, but also that it could be in my head because I’m clearly demented for thinking like that. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence linking full moons to changes in behaviour, not just for humans but for animals too. This of course can be explained by science and logic, the extra brightness of the moon at this time disrupts sleep patterns, making people and animals more edgy, tetchy and anxious during the day.
Oh yes, that makes perfect sense, except I live in Manchester, it’s rained pretty solidly for the last 3 or 4 days and you’d be hard pressed to see the moon through the cloud. Also, I’ve slept like a particularly exhausted log recently. So maybe, just maybe there’s something less scientific going on, forces beyond my ken, so to speak.
Whilst trawling the interweb for evidence (essentially googling “is the super moon making me crazy”), I came across this BBC article which pulled together evidence from a number of studies. It concludes that no, it probably doesn’t make you mad. Wikipedia sort of concurs, saying there is some evidence that it does effect human behaviour and that other studies say it doesn’t. Complex this science business isn’t it?
With no firm conclusions thrown at me by the mighty google, I can only say how I feel about it. I think if blaming the moon for my anxiety and current mood makes me feel better, and gives me hope that when the moon becomes less full in a few days I might start to feel calmer again; then I’m going to cling on to that thought.
I’m interested in what you all think of this. Are you experiencing any behavioural or emotional changes at the moment you think might have something to do with the moon? Do you have full moon anxiety? Or do you think it’s all clap trap? I’m genuinely interested in this. If science can’t crack it, I’m darn sure bloggers can!
My great gran swore by mood change with the moon
Just read your post and it made me realise why have slept so badly the last 3 night! I count work out why. I read this post then asked my office of 8 colleagues and they all (but 2) said exactly the same thing- restless sleep and vivid and very strange dreams. I am convinced it’s the moon! Thanks for solving my mystery!
Miss Tulip x
That would all make sense as to why my sleep has been all over the place at the moment, I thought I was just being a stresshead. The weather’s been a bit crazy to say the least in Liverpool, it’s been like having four seasons in one day. I hope you start to feel better soon 🙂
I have always had really vivid dreams around full moons so although experts say there is no connection I absolutely know this is not true for me!
Yay! Me too! Anxious, stressy and worried about nothing the past few days, vivid dreams too! Thanks
Same here! I’ve never had such odd dreams, and I was anxious all day for no reason. So I wondered if it had anything to do with some kind of astrological occurrence because last time this happened, the lion’s gate was opened, so I checked and sure enough there’s a super moon tomorrow and there’s been full moons for the last two days that I’ve been so anxious and spaced out.
I’m a medical practitioner and I absolutely believe in the effects of the full moon on our bodies. It doesn’t affect everybody, some people feel it worse than others. I don’t follow the phases of the moon but I get very anxious and depressed during the full moon, I actually feel my mood swings and wonder why I feel so anxious, then I look at the moon and realise it’s full. Some months are better than others, but this super moon has really messed me up, I’ve been feeling really down for the past 5 days, so bad that I don’t even want to leave my house or put pants on.
I am a Cancerian. The moons my planet and I am very sensitive around full moons cycles. As the coming one is meant to be super close to earth, I am very jumpy, anxious, and intense!
I have learned that the moon and my general health connected! Knowing this has a calming effect, tho I still get headaches, tingles, and intense dreams – and weird, senseless ones, too!
I live by the sea and get the urge to go and watch moonlight on the water…stuff like that, oh and playing piano for hours n getting super emotional!
My Great Grandmother for the last few years of her life was ruled by the moon. She had a regular 4 (or so) week cycle that waned and grew, and we knew when it would be good to see her and have animated chats and laughter, and when she’d be silent, rocking and vacant, and occasionally snide and bitter. As I grew older and got the brunt of those I also learned when to stretch time between visits. It was certainly good to know for all of us that she would have much better days, so it must have also comforted her 🙂
That’s so interesting Jenny. The more I read about it, the more I am convinced that there’s something in it. I know when I’m having a wobble it’s usually around the time of a full moon. If nothing else, thinking that helps.
Yesterday I was having a lot of anxiety, on our way home my wife asked me if something was wrong as I was staring off into space frowning. I of course told her it was nothing and I was just thinking. Once we were home, I got angry at her, something to do with dinner, something I later think is really stupid and not all that important. I left a note for my wife saying that I am not well right now and not sure why and apologized. Went to work, still feeling really anxious. Had some news that some thing I wanted to make my job easier was going to not be made available. Stewed about it for three hours before venting to my manager. In the scheme of things having this thing go my way is really not that important. I am really not usually feeling like this and then remembered had the full moon last night. Had this coincidence in the past many times. Though did not think about it consciously, maybe subconsciously I know it was a full moon and it caused it but I really think maybe there is something to this, with me at least.
The more people share their stories with me about this, the more I thing there’s something in this. I can virtually guarantee if I have a wobble I check and it’s around the time of a full moon.
I too was unexplainably anxious during the harvest moon and wondered about a lunar effect on human behaviour. My wife is a primary school teacher and like many of her colleagues she is convinced that childrens behaviour changes with the lunar cycle.
However my condition of low intensity but persistent anxiety coupled with bouts of insomnia has been recently kept under control in three ways. First I practise mindfullness. Second I drastically reduced sugar in my diet and third and perhaps most significantly I avoid any foods that contain bisphenol A. A seriously bad contaminant that is in the lining of food cans and many plastics used in food storage. Check it out.
I am totally convinced there is something to this, I fought depression for years years, and have been diagnosed with a chemical imbalance in the brain. This is not bipolar, If you have diabetes you have to take insulin, if you have a chemical imbalance then you have to take medicine to balance them out, also it is hereditary, I got it from my dad, and all my children have it, and several in my family tree have it. It is not fun, DRS gave me tranquilizers for years, I had a job to go to, couldn’t function on those pills. Finally found a Dr. That had done research and he knew right away what was wrong.
Me. My daughter and a friend all have had anxiety like symptoms for the last 10 days.
None of us have had them before.
None of us are stressed either.
Very weird. We are all spiritual though.
Starting to dissipate now for me.
I wondered if it was the moon or the planets or something
I suffer with anxiety but havent suffered this badly for at least 10 years it just rose up from no where my daughter suffers anxiery too and it happened to her out of the blue the same time as myself we both woke at the same time but different locations having to battle an acute attack just cant understand why this happened
I know this post is from nearly four years ago, but I have been paying closer attention to my anxiety for the past three months now and I always get an increase in general anxiety in the days leading up to the full moon. I started researching it tonight because this is the third month in a row that I’ve felt increasingly anxious for seemingly no reason. So I checked the moon phase and sure enough we are four days out from the full moon. I don’t care what science says in this case cause I’m definitely starting to notice a pattern and I’m going to continue to track it over the next several months.
I live with anxiety! It becomes much stronger about 5 days before full moon and new moon. It last a couple of days after. Thomas Hall is a hypnotherapist on youtube. He has audio for anxiety and sleeping that are very helpful. I find it very relaxing.
Here I sit full of anxiety, and panic attacks. I believe it is the moon for sure!
Been full of anxiety and depressed 4 or 5 days and worse day before the full moon really keyed up the day after. Hoping it goes away. I have anxiety and depression but I’ve noticed it gets worse it seems around a full moon at times.