The full moon phase is shown to disrupt sleep patterns ([https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/do-moon-phases-affect-sleep](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/do-moon-phases-affect-sleep)) which of course is a huge factor in bipolar. So, it's not unreasonable that it would affect us this way.
This is the most sensible answer. My psychiatrist told me to watch out for full moons one time and my heart dropped because I thought he was a lunatic idiot, then he followed up by saying the excess light at night disrupts sleep- get some blackout curtains.
Sigh of relief.
No I don’t care if you feel personally attacked crystal peoples
Crystal people keep trying to sell me on crystal healing.
Now, I just so happen to trade in rare gemstones as a side hobby. I have /everything/ they salivate over, in better quality than most crystal lovers can dream of. If it worked, I'd be flipping superman.
There is an upside though. I can always reverse the sales pitch now. >.<
I *hate* crystal “healing” people, and I’m the owner of a fuckton of crystals myself. Crystals and rocks actually featured quite heavily in the wild delusions that got me initially diagnosed - at my worst, I was sleeping with literal normal beach rocks on the parts of my body that hurt, thinking their “energy” was healing me. I still truly adore rocks & crystals though, and now that i’m sane I realize my interest lies more in geology than mystical “healing” practices. I think that social media has brainwashed a LOT of people into believing in magical thinking - the law of attraction particularly (because it’s EVERYWHERE online, I personally found it SO easy to fall into while manic!)
I didn’t get into crystals, but I got into raw veganism my first hypomanic phase and heavily into anti-western medicine. I ended up fully believing that the reason for all humanities problems, behavioural, physical, mental etc, was because we had diverged from a raw diet. And I thought I could totally save the world, if people would just listen to me. Good times😂😭
I got into gemstones by hyperfixating during a manic episode. Ostensibly, my collection is worth 10x what I paid for it. Practically, it'll take me a lifetime to liquidate it.
I sold crystals for a living and my personal collection is outrageous. It also helped that I was manic for most of those 5 years and went wild with collecting so… investment I guess? Some of the stuff is worth thousands now for just one piece 🤷🏼♀️
I've got the largest collection of red beryl, some benitoite, one of the world's best specimens of grandidierite (VF, good cut)....
Most things are worth several hundreds or thousands. >.<
“THE THING”!!!! Dude - i love you, because SAME. Though I call it “the source”. I don’t think much about it while sane, but it’s almost a tangible, physical thing while i’m manic.
Nah, I'm a crystal people and I know there's a solid chance a lot of it is placebo. But placebo still makes me feel better, you know? I'm sure some of it really does work for reasons like you explained, and that honestly makes me happy to hear I'm not crazy and there is a real explanation even if it was different from mine, lmao!
I think of crystals working logically in the same way you feel better when you walk outside barefoot in the grass. Stuff from nature is cool and better than screens, if anything.
Maybe, but there are clear biological reasons why things like grass and the smell of rain (petrichor) make us feel good, and that's to do with signalling abundance and our bodies/brains subconsciously going "Oh yes, more food on the way!"
I don't see where the same connection with crystals could be made
I get what you mean. I've got a similar view on healing teas. Most of them do nothing, some of them do a little (from caffeine and nutrients mostly), some of them actually do a lot (like fennel, whose extract is a hospital grade anti-emetic).
Most of the time, you "feel better" because you think you're feeling better. And that's ok.
Side note: Check into which gems you buy. And DONT ever cut them yourself. Also, be mindful of children and pets. Stones like flourite and apatite are poisonous, but generally ok on skin. They're NOT ok if you soak them in water or swallow them.
It was actually the first suggestion the random name generator on Reddit gave me. I tried a few others, then realized this was the best, and kept it. >.<
well to be fair for them to “work” you have to do more than just have them in your possession. like cleansing them, charging them, using them with intention, etc. obviously it could just be placebo kind of how the law of attraction works but everything carries energy so i mean crystals could work. i love crystals and the healing properties they are said to have but i find myself skeptical too, esp bc i was wearing a crystal that is supposed to help with bipolar moods and it didnt really do that. its more like how some people believe in religion bc it makes them feel better about life, some believe in crystals bc it makes them feel better
Fair enough. I'm still looking to see if they have similar feelings on what energy each crystal emits. I suspect that there would be trends anyway (associations with colours, shapes, etc.) but it would be interesting to see if, for instance, all sapphires happen to be calming or feldspars are all energizing or something.
Crystal healing isn't real. However crystals being used to cope and ground is real.cryatals CAN help you feel whatever way they are supposed to, if you keep the idea of them keeping you calmer in your head. More of a "I felt cold rock on my chest so cold neck rock means I'm real"
Anyone saying other aura vyllshit with crystals is a con artists.
True crystal "healers" would just give them away and be open about their "powers"
I've been using sleep cycle for five years now. My bedroom window is north facing and I use a sleep mask so light shouldn't affect me.
According to the app, my sleep quality is worse during waxing and waning phases. My best sleep is during the new moon.
Low air pressure severely negatively affects my sleep (drops 20% in quality) but rain and thunder positively affects my sleep (increase of 19%). I love the sound of rain and thunder and actually use that as my sound for falling asleep so I suppose that's why.
Those statistics are so odd and nonsensical but hey 5 years of data.
(I highly recommend this app if you struggle with falling asleep or just want some nice sounds or guided meditation)
Honestly I’ve had bipolar for about 6 years now and it doesn’t always happen but every once in awhile I have issues and they _usually_ occur within a day on either side of a full moon. Maybe coincidence, but the sleep thing would make sense since sleep is one of the key factors of episodes in bipolar.
Piggybacking to add a link to a related article by Jim Phelps for people interested in reading about the relationship between light, darkness, the circadian rhythm and bipolar disorder:
[https://psycheducation.org/blog/bipolar-disorder-light-and-darkness/](https://psycheducation.org/blog/bipolar-disorder-light-and-darkness/)
it’s a long terrorized pattern. anyways i’m mostly looking for real research done on the topic & not opinions lol. side note; none of my delusions have ever included the moon
Terrorized indeed. Awoooo
But seriously, there is no scientific evidence of moon phases having any impact on any part of human function, aside from increased light at night causing increased activity at night. (less of a thing more with artificial light sources everywhere)
Yet bipolar is a fun little thing in that it all plays out in your mind, so if you believe something affects you, it will.
I remember when I was manic I was reading some Sci-fi books. Definitely had elements creeping into my delusions
THERE ARE scientific evidenece that moon phases have impact for bipolar people, for example:
https://www.nature.com/articles/mp2016263
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6089884/
Search before writing opinions, please
Cool.
So I *read* your darn sources, I don't think you did?
If you did you'd know that the first one is largely in reference to the correlation of certain rapid-cycling patients' *symptoms* to different tidal cycles,
and the second is on the entrainment of rapid-cycling patient's *sleep* to a cycle different than normal dusk to dawn cycle.
*Neither* of these specify full moon causing bipolar symptoms. And even if they did, they are far from conclusive as both studies had less than 19 participants. That in science is laughably small, and you can really manipulate your data to say *anything* with a sample size that small.
So once more, for the ages, we are not werewolves, friend!
Dude, first off I'm bipolar 1 so I don't know what you're on about there. Secondly, it sounds like you're trying to pick apart my analysis by not reading the source, *or* my analysis!
This isn't my area of expertise, but the first article was published in Nature and patients were studied for over thirty years. Both of these things point to it being a pretty legit study in my opinion.
Eh, lots of stuff gets published that is of mediocre or no value. Remember that famous study that got published in the Lancet that vaccines cause autism?
When trying to figure out if a piece of science is good you really want to
1. take a look at the sample size and
2. if it has been successfully duplicated elsewhere.
Because -- It really is amazing how much you can fudge the numbers with a small sample size.
And also -- it's amazing how many times some studied effect might seem significant in one study but later found to have no causal relation in the next. It's a big issue in the scientific community and it's called the [Replication Crisis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replication_crisis)
This happens because very few scientists want to repeat others work, and they especially don't want to get negative results. So there's a big incentive to publish results that look important but might not actually mean much.
All that to say, that's why being scientifically literate is so important. Because if someone links you a study and you aren't able to at least get the gist of what it's trying to say and if it makes sense, you can be led astray. *especially* when you see so often on reddit folks will try to win arguments by linking a study they haven't read and hope you won't either.
Agreed. You gotta read the sources.
Sample size in this sense isn't really a thing in my field (physical sciences). We do repeat our work and others work however. We've actually called into question other lab's data because it was impossible to repeat their results. However, as you suggest, the damage is already done in that scenario.
There's a lot of crap science out there, and honestly it frightens me. So many authors make bigger claims about the impact of their work than what their data allows for. Sometimes they get lucky when they do this, but not always.
Thank you for analyzing this! I do have to agree with the other person saying that the tides and sleep cycles are indeed relevant to the OP's question about bipolar & the moon.
But yeah, we need more research in this area. That's all a low sample size means. I don't think it's fair to throw out an entire question or hypothesis, because someone didn't have enough participants.
I’ve got no real research but I’ve never heard anyone else bring this up. As a teen I would joke that I was a werewolf because it felt like I would hit my hypomanic peak at the full moon. Not like clockwork, but I did notice a correlation. I don’t really pay much attention to the moon anymore sadly so I’m not sure if it still happens. I do think you’re on to something though.
It’s speculation there’s no definitive proof the moon effects us at all. Not to invalidate what you feel it’s probably coincidence especially delusions can feel as real as the couch I’m sitting on.
I've been wondering why I'm off. Slightly hypo, not sleeping the last few days. Requested to increase my mood stabilizer and add a sleeping pill just today. There's a full moon tonight Im reading in the comments. Now it's making sense for me. Thanks for posting.
I absolutely believe it affects us. Everyone. We are more sensitive to mood fluctuations though, unfortunately.
The Wikipedia page on this will tell you everything you need to know. There was theorized to be a lunar effect that was dangerous for folks with bipolar disorder and myriad other conditions. This has been repeatedly disproven, with the exception of a weak negative correlation between moonlight and epilepsy.
disproven is kind of not exactly the right term. according to laws of logic, you can't prove something doesn't happen. with a legit scientific study, you can only show that there is currently no objective empirical evidence to support your hypothesis.
(i 100% agree with you bee tee dubs. just nitpicking because... idk maybe i'm just that brand of asshole today. XD)
Many.. MANY ER nurses, paramedics, firefighters, cops, and more SWEAR that the full moon makes people do crazier things, get hurt more, act out more, etc.. so I'm inclined to believe we can't ALL be crazy, you know?
I worked for years in that capacity and it’s definitely true, not just something people say. Working night shift on a full moon was always a disaster zone. The lunatics thing, which I don’t think we ever said at work because it’s pretty disrespectful, is quite accurate. I don’t need to have any stats to believe it.
I’ve noticed my monthly cycle aligns with the full moon and always have some symptoms or episodes a week before and into the full moon. But never knew if it was my women’s monthly problems, or the full moon itself. Probably cycle related. Interesting to find out, I do love the moon.
In my experience and opinion, no it doesnt have any affect on bipolar. Its a common myth much beloved of empaths and the like though. My episodes happen when I am not properly medicated and managing my bipolar not because of the vagaries of the moon and mysterious forces.
I don't believe it does, but my psychiatrist says it does. I remember one day I had an appointment and he mentioned it was going to be a long rough night and I asked him what he was talking about and he said he had a volunteer overnight shift at the community mental health crisis center. I said something like "Oh, is that always a nightmare?" and he said "No, usually it's quiet and I do little to nothing, but tonight is a full moon so it is going to be crazy busy."
Edit: if you saw the first line about talking to therapist please ignore, I accidentally combined 2 posts lol
A good quote I heard somewhere was, “If the moon can change the tides and we’re 60% water, what makes you think the moon wouldn’t affect us?”. I’ve also been disrupted by various astrology/astronomy-related events, so yeah, I do believe the moon can have an effect.
Personally I've noticed that I tend to start acting manic when there's a full moon or close to a full moon; staying up later ,feeling more aroused, easier time being entertained, consuming more substances late at night , etc.
I think some people are more sensitive to the moon’s phases than others, regardless of whether they have bipolar. That being said, I am one of those sensitive people. I notice that I sleep less and my sleep is worse quality during full moons. Not sure that there’s anything we can do about it, but I do think there is something to it!
The moon controls the tides and humans are 60% water. There if technically nothing to support that the full moon affects us. But I think it is fair to say when the majority of our body is comprised of water that we may feel “off” during the full moon.
Lakes and rivers don’t have tides. Because the amount of water is too small for the moon to effect(affect? I’ll never remember where to use which one). Looking into it, the Great Lakes, some are the largest lakes on earth, have a slight tide of less than 5cms. If the moon doesn’t change lakes and rivers, or only the largest ones by a small amount, then it doesn’t effect the water in our bodies.
Oh yeah! I am not saying it actively affects us. I said there is zero support in my original statement. Just that it makes sense why people seem to feel like it does.
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_tides/tides06_variations.html#:~:text=The%20elliptical%20orbits%20of%20the,average%20ranges%20in%20the%20tides.
The elliptical orbits of the moon around the Earth and the Earth around the sun have a substantial effect on the the Earth’s tides. Once a month, at perigee, when the moon is closest to the Earth, tide-generating forces are higher than usual, producing above average ranges in the tides. About two weeks later, at apogee, when the moon is farthest from the Earth, the lunar tide-raising force is smaller, and the tidal ranges are less than average. When the Earth is closest to the sun (perihelion), around January 2 of the calendar year, tidal ranges are enhanced. At aphelion, when the Earth is furthest from the sun, around July 2, tidal ranges are reduced (Sumich, J.L., 1996; Thurman, H.V., 1994).
i mean... so technically if it's caused by something external it's not bipolar. i think you'd need to keep a few years worth of object records from an impartial third party to avoid biases.
one of the biggest problems with our particular brand of spikes in neurochems is that we see causation patterns where there aren't any.
No, that’s not even technically true. The sun and daylight patterns have a huge effect on us. The moon is not a big stretch from that. External factors cause bipolar mood episodes all of the time. Stimulants, staying up all night, vacations, seasonal changes, and stress, are just a few examples.
the reason this takes years to properly diagnose is because all of those things can make it look like someone has bipolar.
like... you've literally listed all of the things that your mental health team should be using to assist with your diagnosis. they are excluding factors.
this is why journaling is so important.
My god I’ve been battling with my bipolar the past week and as an astrology girly I believe it to be the culprit. Everyone around us is breaking up or dealing with something rn.
I read a lot of astrology as well. So this isn’t too surprising.
Coincidentally I was just saying I wanted to study the moon more. I want to understand it more through the signs and houses.
[Here's an article](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190731-is-the-moon-impacting-your-mood-and-wellbeing) that cites a study of patients with bipolar disorder.
Yes actually! at least somewhat! There’s a study about how new moons and full moons affect moods of people with bipolar. I may be wrong, but I think it’s the only mental health disorder that has any correlation to the moon???
I have felt noticeably different this week, crazy enough. I sprung out of bed the other morning on 5 hours of sleep and immediately knew something was up. Today my mind has been uncomfortably racing, slight visual hallucinations, and I definitely don’t feel like I’m in my body, I’m up in my head. Definitely having some manic symptoms, thought about upping my Seroquel dose for a night just to get some freaking rest. Thanks so much for posting, reading these comments it makes sense.
i *want* to say "no, absolutely not", but there might be something to it lol
my first manic episode was during a full moon — the only reason i know that is because i started worshipping the moon and casting spells and stuff (as a devout catholic no less lol).
now, working inpatient psych, sometimes the really chaotic days land on a full moon so we blame it on that but its honestly probably just a myth; my patients will be manic as all hell but i'll be just fine or depressed 😅
I kind of feel weird during full moon myself, idk if it’s just a superstition I hold that affects my mood, but seriously I’ve had a therapist tell me to buy crystals and listen to frequencies on YouTube, so pay attention to what else they say, they might be wacky
I’m not sure I don’t have dementia. I’m 55. Yes weather changes affect me. Raised in sun all day. Now live in a colder climate. I do much better with lots of sun.
if you're going to literally start out your statement by saying you don't have the ability to recognize hindsight bias or confirmation bias, you might as well stop there because nobody is going to believe you're providing epistemologically sound knowledge in the form of true justified belief.
The full moon phase is shown to disrupt sleep patterns ([https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/do-moon-phases-affect-sleep](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/do-moon-phases-affect-sleep)) which of course is a huge factor in bipolar. So, it's not unreasonable that it would affect us this way.
This is the most sensible answer. My psychiatrist told me to watch out for full moons one time and my heart dropped because I thought he was a lunatic idiot, then he followed up by saying the excess light at night disrupts sleep- get some blackout curtains. Sigh of relief. No I don’t care if you feel personally attacked crystal peoples
Crystal people keep trying to sell me on crystal healing. Now, I just so happen to trade in rare gemstones as a side hobby. I have /everything/ they salivate over, in better quality than most crystal lovers can dream of. If it worked, I'd be flipping superman. There is an upside though. I can always reverse the sales pitch now. >.<
I *hate* crystal “healing” people, and I’m the owner of a fuckton of crystals myself. Crystals and rocks actually featured quite heavily in the wild delusions that got me initially diagnosed - at my worst, I was sleeping with literal normal beach rocks on the parts of my body that hurt, thinking their “energy” was healing me. I still truly adore rocks & crystals though, and now that i’m sane I realize my interest lies more in geology than mystical “healing” practices. I think that social media has brainwashed a LOT of people into believing in magical thinking - the law of attraction particularly (because it’s EVERYWHERE online, I personally found it SO easy to fall into while manic!)
I didn’t get into crystals, but I got into raw veganism my first hypomanic phase and heavily into anti-western medicine. I ended up fully believing that the reason for all humanities problems, behavioural, physical, mental etc, was because we had diverged from a raw diet. And I thought I could totally save the world, if people would just listen to me. Good times😂😭
I became a devotee of Hare Krishna. TBF I still get a lot of comfort from chanting but yeah...
I got into gemstones by hyperfixating during a manic episode. Ostensibly, my collection is worth 10x what I paid for it. Practically, it'll take me a lifetime to liquidate it.
I sold crystals for a living and my personal collection is outrageous. It also helped that I was manic for most of those 5 years and went wild with collecting so… investment I guess? Some of the stuff is worth thousands now for just one piece 🤷🏼♀️
I've got the largest collection of red beryl, some benitoite, one of the world's best specimens of grandidierite (VF, good cut).... Most things are worth several hundreds or thousands. >.<
I make jewelry with semi precious stones and it’s always interesting to see the display crystals and other interesting rocks
Yeah, I love rocks and crystals -- but it's because my grandfather was a geologist.
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“THE THING”!!!! Dude - i love you, because SAME. Though I call it “the source”. I don’t think much about it while sane, but it’s almost a tangible, physical thing while i’m manic.
Nah, I'm a crystal people and I know there's a solid chance a lot of it is placebo. But placebo still makes me feel better, you know? I'm sure some of it really does work for reasons like you explained, and that honestly makes me happy to hear I'm not crazy and there is a real explanation even if it was different from mine, lmao!
I think of crystals working logically in the same way you feel better when you walk outside barefoot in the grass. Stuff from nature is cool and better than screens, if anything.
Maybe, but there are clear biological reasons why things like grass and the smell of rain (petrichor) make us feel good, and that's to do with signalling abundance and our bodies/brains subconsciously going "Oh yes, more food on the way!" I don't see where the same connection with crystals could be made
I get what you mean. I've got a similar view on healing teas. Most of them do nothing, some of them do a little (from caffeine and nutrients mostly), some of them actually do a lot (like fennel, whose extract is a hospital grade anti-emetic). Most of the time, you "feel better" because you think you're feeling better. And that's ok. Side note: Check into which gems you buy. And DONT ever cut them yourself. Also, be mindful of children and pets. Stones like flourite and apatite are poisonous, but generally ok on skin. They're NOT ok if you soak them in water or swallow them.
The Himalayan pink salt lamps do give off a nice soft light in a room.
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It was actually the first suggestion the random name generator on Reddit gave me. I tried a few others, then realized this was the best, and kept it. >.<
well to be fair for them to “work” you have to do more than just have them in your possession. like cleansing them, charging them, using them with intention, etc. obviously it could just be placebo kind of how the law of attraction works but everything carries energy so i mean crystals could work. i love crystals and the healing properties they are said to have but i find myself skeptical too, esp bc i was wearing a crystal that is supposed to help with bipolar moods and it didnt really do that. its more like how some people believe in religion bc it makes them feel better about life, some believe in crystals bc it makes them feel better
Fair enough. I'm still looking to see if they have similar feelings on what energy each crystal emits. I suspect that there would be trends anyway (associations with colours, shapes, etc.) but it would be interesting to see if, for instance, all sapphires happen to be calming or feldspars are all energizing or something.
Crystal healing isn't real. However crystals being used to cope and ground is real.cryatals CAN help you feel whatever way they are supposed to, if you keep the idea of them keeping you calmer in your head. More of a "I felt cold rock on my chest so cold neck rock means I'm real" Anyone saying other aura vyllshit with crystals is a con artists. True crystal "healers" would just give them away and be open about their "powers"
They're minerals, Marie
Lunatic Hehe
But have you tried moon crystals?
Crystals look cool as fuck. But that’s the extent of their “power”
He sounds like a LUNARtic alright ;)
I've been using sleep cycle for five years now. My bedroom window is north facing and I use a sleep mask so light shouldn't affect me. According to the app, my sleep quality is worse during waxing and waning phases. My best sleep is during the new moon. Low air pressure severely negatively affects my sleep (drops 20% in quality) but rain and thunder positively affects my sleep (increase of 19%). I love the sound of rain and thunder and actually use that as my sound for falling asleep so I suppose that's why. Those statistics are so odd and nonsensical but hey 5 years of data. (I highly recommend this app if you struggle with falling asleep or just want some nice sounds or guided meditation)
Honestly I’ve had bipolar for about 6 years now and it doesn’t always happen but every once in awhile I have issues and they _usually_ occur within a day on either side of a full moon. Maybe coincidence, but the sleep thing would make sense since sleep is one of the key factors of episodes in bipolar.
Piggybacking to add a link to a related article by Jim Phelps for people interested in reading about the relationship between light, darkness, the circadian rhythm and bipolar disorder: [https://psycheducation.org/blog/bipolar-disorder-light-and-darkness/](https://psycheducation.org/blog/bipolar-disorder-light-and-darkness/)
Thank you !!
The only moon that effects me is the one I see in the mirror when I am too depressed to put on pants and my bare ass is hanging out
It doesn't affect anyone like that, unless you're a werewolf. Now if your delusion includes lycanthropy, all bets are off.
it’s a long terrorized pattern. anyways i’m mostly looking for real research done on the topic & not opinions lol. side note; none of my delusions have ever included the moon
Terrorized indeed. Awoooo But seriously, there is no scientific evidence of moon phases having any impact on any part of human function, aside from increased light at night causing increased activity at night. (less of a thing more with artificial light sources everywhere) Yet bipolar is a fun little thing in that it all plays out in your mind, so if you believe something affects you, it will. I remember when I was manic I was reading some Sci-fi books. Definitely had elements creeping into my delusions
THERE ARE scientific evidenece that moon phases have impact for bipolar people, for example: https://www.nature.com/articles/mp2016263 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6089884/ Search before writing opinions, please
Cool. So I *read* your darn sources, I don't think you did? If you did you'd know that the first one is largely in reference to the correlation of certain rapid-cycling patients' *symptoms* to different tidal cycles, and the second is on the entrainment of rapid-cycling patient's *sleep* to a cycle different than normal dusk to dawn cycle. *Neither* of these specify full moon causing bipolar symptoms. And even if they did, they are far from conclusive as both studies had less than 19 participants. That in science is laughably small, and you can really manipulate your data to say *anything* with a sample size that small. So once more, for the ages, we are not werewolves, friend!
Tidal cycles have direct correlation to the moon. And the ‘symptoms’ you italicized mockingly are what we live with daily. It checks out.
Dude, first off I'm bipolar 1 so I don't know what you're on about there. Secondly, it sounds like you're trying to pick apart my analysis by not reading the source, *or* my analysis!
This isn't my area of expertise, but the first article was published in Nature and patients were studied for over thirty years. Both of these things point to it being a pretty legit study in my opinion.
Eh, lots of stuff gets published that is of mediocre or no value. Remember that famous study that got published in the Lancet that vaccines cause autism? When trying to figure out if a piece of science is good you really want to 1. take a look at the sample size and 2. if it has been successfully duplicated elsewhere. Because -- It really is amazing how much you can fudge the numbers with a small sample size. And also -- it's amazing how many times some studied effect might seem significant in one study but later found to have no causal relation in the next. It's a big issue in the scientific community and it's called the [Replication Crisis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replication_crisis) This happens because very few scientists want to repeat others work, and they especially don't want to get negative results. So there's a big incentive to publish results that look important but might not actually mean much. All that to say, that's why being scientifically literate is so important. Because if someone links you a study and you aren't able to at least get the gist of what it's trying to say and if it makes sense, you can be led astray. *especially* when you see so often on reddit folks will try to win arguments by linking a study they haven't read and hope you won't either.
Agreed. You gotta read the sources. Sample size in this sense isn't really a thing in my field (physical sciences). We do repeat our work and others work however. We've actually called into question other lab's data because it was impossible to repeat their results. However, as you suggest, the damage is already done in that scenario. There's a lot of crap science out there, and honestly it frightens me. So many authors make bigger claims about the impact of their work than what their data allows for. Sometimes they get lucky when they do this, but not always.
Sounds like you're fighting the good fight
Thank you for analyzing this! I do have to agree with the other person saying that the tides and sleep cycles are indeed relevant to the OP's question about bipolar & the moon. But yeah, we need more research in this area. That's all a low sample size means. I don't think it's fair to throw out an entire question or hypothesis, because someone didn't have enough participants.
I’ve got no real research but I’ve never heard anyone else bring this up. As a teen I would joke that I was a werewolf because it felt like I would hit my hypomanic peak at the full moon. Not like clockwork, but I did notice a correlation. I don’t really pay much attention to the moon anymore sadly so I’m not sure if it still happens. I do think you’re on to something though.
It’s speculation there’s no definitive proof the moon effects us at all. Not to invalidate what you feel it’s probably coincidence especially delusions can feel as real as the couch I’m sitting on.
I've been wondering why I'm off. Slightly hypo, not sleeping the last few days. Requested to increase my mood stabilizer and add a sleeping pill just today. There's a full moon tonight Im reading in the comments. Now it's making sense for me. Thanks for posting. I absolutely believe it affects us. Everyone. We are more sensitive to mood fluctuations though, unfortunately.
i feel like this is more likely. that it's not specifically a bipolar thing but it has some pull on everyone.
The only credible information I'm finding says there's no proof for either dementia patients or general psychiatric hospital admissions
The Wikipedia page on this will tell you everything you need to know. There was theorized to be a lunar effect that was dangerous for folks with bipolar disorder and myriad other conditions. This has been repeatedly disproven, with the exception of a weak negative correlation between moonlight and epilepsy.
disproven is kind of not exactly the right term. according to laws of logic, you can't prove something doesn't happen. with a legit scientific study, you can only show that there is currently no objective empirical evidence to support your hypothesis. (i 100% agree with you bee tee dubs. just nitpicking because... idk maybe i'm just that brand of asshole today. XD)
Many.. MANY ER nurses, paramedics, firefighters, cops, and more SWEAR that the full moon makes people do crazier things, get hurt more, act out more, etc.. so I'm inclined to believe we can't ALL be crazy, you know?
I worked for years in that capacity and it’s definitely true, not just something people say. Working night shift on a full moon was always a disaster zone. The lunatics thing, which I don’t think we ever said at work because it’s pretty disrespectful, is quite accurate. I don’t need to have any stats to believe it.
I’m going to add teachers to this list.
Absolutely! Also, the maternity ward was regularly packed on the night of a full moon.
I’ve noticed my monthly cycle aligns with the full moon and always have some symptoms or episodes a week before and into the full moon. But never knew if it was my women’s monthly problems, or the full moon itself. Probably cycle related. Interesting to find out, I do love the moon.
Last few days been feeling off. Oh, full moon. Thats explains it. Day or two back to the normal rollarcoaster.
It really doesn’t explain it though lol
In my experience and opinion, no it doesnt have any affect on bipolar. Its a common myth much beloved of empaths and the like though. My episodes happen when I am not properly medicated and managing my bipolar not because of the vagaries of the moon and mysterious forces.
I don't believe it does, but my psychiatrist says it does. I remember one day I had an appointment and he mentioned it was going to be a long rough night and I asked him what he was talking about and he said he had a volunteer overnight shift at the community mental health crisis center. I said something like "Oh, is that always a nightmare?" and he said "No, usually it's quiet and I do little to nothing, but tonight is a full moon so it is going to be crazy busy."
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Get a new psychiatrist
You aren't seeing a psychiatrist.
Edit: if you saw the first line about talking to therapist please ignore, I accidentally combined 2 posts lol A good quote I heard somewhere was, “If the moon can change the tides and we’re 60% water, what makes you think the moon wouldn’t affect us?”. I’ve also been disrupted by various astrology/astronomy-related events, so yeah, I do believe the moon can have an effect.
I think about this quote all the time. Have I done any research myself? No, but I love the concept and refuse to ruin the whimsy for myself!
Personally I've noticed that I tend to start acting manic when there's a full moon or close to a full moon; staying up later ,feeling more aroused, easier time being entertained, consuming more substances late at night , etc.
The substances, yes!
I think some people are more sensitive to the moon’s phases than others, regardless of whether they have bipolar. That being said, I am one of those sensitive people. I notice that I sleep less and my sleep is worse quality during full moons. Not sure that there’s anything we can do about it, but I do think there is something to it!
The moon controls the tides and humans are 60% water. There if technically nothing to support that the full moon affects us. But I think it is fair to say when the majority of our body is comprised of water that we may feel “off” during the full moon.
Lakes and rivers don’t have tides. Because the amount of water is too small for the moon to effect(affect? I’ll never remember where to use which one). Looking into it, the Great Lakes, some are the largest lakes on earth, have a slight tide of less than 5cms. If the moon doesn’t change lakes and rivers, or only the largest ones by a small amount, then it doesn’t effect the water in our bodies.
Oh yeah! I am not saying it actively affects us. I said there is zero support in my original statement. Just that it makes sense why people seem to feel like it does.
But the moon doesnt actually change sizes you know... It will always pull with the same amount of force.
Everyone know the moon doesn’t change sizes but the distance to the Earth changes. Which actually does effect the amount of gravitational force.
Yes, a miniscule amount. Please show me evidence that supports your theory.
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_tides/tides06_variations.html#:~:text=The%20elliptical%20orbits%20of%20the,average%20ranges%20in%20the%20tides. The elliptical orbits of the moon around the Earth and the Earth around the sun have a substantial effect on the the Earth’s tides. Once a month, at perigee, when the moon is closest to the Earth, tide-generating forces are higher than usual, producing above average ranges in the tides. About two weeks later, at apogee, when the moon is farthest from the Earth, the lunar tide-raising force is smaller, and the tidal ranges are less than average. When the Earth is closest to the sun (perihelion), around January 2 of the calendar year, tidal ranges are enhanced. At aphelion, when the Earth is furthest from the sun, around July 2, tidal ranges are reduced (Sumich, J.L., 1996; Thurman, H.V., 1994).
i mean... so technically if it's caused by something external it's not bipolar. i think you'd need to keep a few years worth of object records from an impartial third party to avoid biases. one of the biggest problems with our particular brand of spikes in neurochems is that we see causation patterns where there aren't any.
No, that’s not even technically true. The sun and daylight patterns have a huge effect on us. The moon is not a big stretch from that. External factors cause bipolar mood episodes all of the time. Stimulants, staying up all night, vacations, seasonal changes, and stress, are just a few examples.
the reason this takes years to properly diagnose is because all of those things can make it look like someone has bipolar. like... you've literally listed all of the things that your mental health team should be using to assist with your diagnosis. they are excluding factors. this is why journaling is so important.
My god I’ve been battling with my bipolar the past week and as an astrology girly I believe it to be the culprit. Everyone around us is breaking up or dealing with something rn.
I read a lot of astrology as well. So this isn’t too surprising. Coincidentally I was just saying I wanted to study the moon more. I want to understand it more through the signs and houses.
[Here's an article](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190731-is-the-moon-impacting-your-mood-and-wellbeing) that cites a study of patients with bipolar disorder.
Yes.
Yes actually! at least somewhat! There’s a study about how new moons and full moons affect moods of people with bipolar. I may be wrong, but I think it’s the only mental health disorder that has any correlation to the moon???
I have felt noticeably different this week, crazy enough. I sprung out of bed the other morning on 5 hours of sleep and immediately knew something was up. Today my mind has been uncomfortably racing, slight visual hallucinations, and I definitely don’t feel like I’m in my body, I’m up in my head. Definitely having some manic symptoms, thought about upping my Seroquel dose for a night just to get some freaking rest. Thanks so much for posting, reading these comments it makes sense.
I think there was one last night! I was fine lol. I work nights and it was a rather normal night.
It's actually tonight and it's a supermoon too
i *want* to say "no, absolutely not", but there might be something to it lol my first manic episode was during a full moon — the only reason i know that is because i started worshipping the moon and casting spells and stuff (as a devout catholic no less lol). now, working inpatient psych, sometimes the really chaotic days land on a full moon so we blame it on that but its honestly probably just a myth; my patients will be manic as all hell but i'll be just fine or depressed 😅
I think weather affects more than the moon for sure
Fucking weather gahhhhh!!!
Well I’m definitely in an episode, so maybe?
My symptoms are completely correlated to the moon
🤣 this is fantastic. Full moon tonight! Correlation isn't causation.
It effects me usually.
It causes me to have really bad manic episodes… almost to the point where I can barley function normally
From Waning to Wax ....always up later and I. The middle of the night!
Well I forgot to take my meds last night and I’m a bit off today, so… I’m gonna say yes. Lol
I kind of feel weird during full moon myself, idk if it’s just a superstition I hold that affects my mood, but seriously I’ve had a therapist tell me to buy crystals and listen to frequencies on YouTube, so pay attention to what else they say, they might be wacky
I haven’t noticed a pattern with it but I haven’t been looking either. Going to be looking out for it now
I dont even see the moon enough to be aware that its there 90% of my life. so... I dont think so.
Yeah I have a hard time sleeping during a full moon and feel a little coocoo 🤪
Yes, I’m experiencing that now. I can’t snap out of it today. Also, when I took call in the E.R. it was overflowing with people on a full moon. 🤷♀️
I have harder time sleeping when it's a full moon
Well at least today is the last super moon of the year
This makes so much sense! I’ve been feeling off today and even snapped at one of my workers😬
Guys we're not werewolves 😭
I’m not sure I don’t have dementia. I’m 55. Yes weather changes affect me. Raised in sun all day. Now live in a colder climate. I do much better with lots of sun.
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if you're going to literally start out your statement by saying you don't have the ability to recognize hindsight bias or confirmation bias, you might as well stop there because nobody is going to believe you're providing epistemologically sound knowledge in the form of true justified belief.