• Question: Why do we sleep when the moon is out and are awake when the sun is out?

    Asked by Granny Smith to Anna, Hayley, Iain, Rebecca on 17 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Hayley Clissold

      Hayley Clissold answered on 17 Jun 2015:

      We have an internal body clock called the ‘circadian rhythm’. This clock effectively works with the environment and senses various factors, like light and darkness. For example, we can detect light using our eyes. Our eyes are able to communicate with our brain to tell us that it is daytime. This part of our brain can then align our body clock with certain times of the day.

      There are also various chemical compounds involved in this day/night rhythm. For example, we have a hormone called melatonin, which helps you to feel drowsy and tired. When it gets dark, our bodies produce more melatonin to make us feel tired and to prepare ourselves for sleep.

    • Photo: Iain Bethune

      Iain Bethune answered on 19 Jun 2015:

      Just to note, sometimes the moon is out during the day – so really our circadian rhythm is tied to the light/dark cycle, not to the position of the moon!

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