Physical activity, sleep duration and metabolic health in children fluctuate with the lunar cycle: science behind the myth.

ABSTRACT: Behaviours of several animal species have been linked to lunar periodicity. Evidence for such links in humans is weak; however, recently, shorter sleep duration was reported around full moon in two small samples of adults. As restrictions in sleep duration have been shown to adversely affect glucose regulation and physical activity to improve glucose regulation, one could speculate that cardiometabolic risk factors might also be affected by the lunar phase. We retrospectively examined 795 Danish children, aged 8-11 years, with more than 13,000 24-h accelerometer recordings of activity and sleep as well as 2000 measurements of different cardiometabolic risk factors, including insulin sensitivity, appetite hormones and blood pressure, during nine lunar phases. During the period around full m

SUBMITTER: Sjodin A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4672692 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature