Did you see the full moon last Sunday? Wasn’t it magnificent? I don’t know much about full moons, except that they cause high tides because of the lunar gravitational pull on oceans facing the moon. But that’s not all.

Researchers discovered that during a full moon, people spend 30% less time in deep sleep (known as NREM sleep) and sleep for 20 minutes less than nights without a full moon. Could this explain why people seem a little more loony than usual during full moons? Could 20 minutes less sleep really cause that?

Now don’t get me wrong; this post isn’t meant to be educationally enlightening, as the extent of my knowledge concerning full moons is quite meager. But what I’ve noticed during this once a month event is that people seem more agitated, annoyed and grouchy, to name some not-so-pleasant behavior changes. I can’t blame it on 20 minutes of less sleep, as I myself am lucky to get 5 hours a night, yet I think I’m a rather pleasant person regardless of limited shut-eye. But evidently a full moon actually does wreak havoc on us — the gravitational pull and all that. If it can affect our tides, why can’t it make some of us a little more anxious and irritable?