We can’t be the only ones who have been experiencing headaches this week? Sure, it may be down to those stressful Zoom meetings, or maybe one too many glasses of Pinot at the pub last night, but a lot of people on social media are putting it down to something else: this week’s full moon.
You may have heard this before, as often in the lead up to a full moon, people claim they’ve got migraines or headaches due to the position of moon. We’ve talked before about how you can live by the moon phases and how the moon can affect our moods – so could ‘full moon migraines’ be real?
Twitter user Anele wrote: “We have a Strawberry Super Full Moon in Capricorn on the 24th of June at 20:39. Full moon effects are felt 3 days before, during the full moon & for 7 days after:
-Expect to have stomach cramps, nausea, headaches, be short tempered, loss of appetite & depression/anxiety attacks.”
“Have had the stonker of a migraine for the last two days after not having on in years. They always used to come around on the full moon. Doctors may say it’s nonsense but hmmm, timing is strange,” says another user.
Another writes: “Every f*cking new and full moon I get a migraine that cannot be contained I am DONE”.
Someone else added: “Did anyone else get a full moon migraine last night? Never been woken up by pain like that before”.
We asked Dr Ross Perry, a GP and Medical Director of Cosmedics, what he thought of full moon migraines, but unfortunately he wasn’t convinced. Sorry team.
“There is no scientific data or research to suggest that a full moon has any impact on a person’s health,” he says. “Migraines are a specific type of headache that typically affect one side of the head and can affect your vision and make you feel sick. They generally happen due to a spasm of blood vessels in the brain and neck area.
“Why this happens is unknown, but a migraine is often thought to start when someone is ‘stressed’ has consumed too much alcohol and is dehydrated. Lack of sleep and extreme tiredness can also cause tension headaches and migraines,” he explains.
Could there be some kind of truth in the moon having an impact then, particularly as full moons typically light up the sky and may keep us awake?
“Of course, if you feel your sleep is being disrupted by the bright moon or indeed the lighter mornings, then this could result in lack of energy and fatigue, which could result in a migraine. You might want to think about getting a blackout blind, make sure you’re fully hydrated and try to reduce stress levels which are the most common cause of tension headaches.”
This week’s full moon on 24th June was the third in a row of Super Moons that we’ve had recently. Super Moons are brighter in the sky because the moon is slightly closer to the earth, so it’s possible that while it’s up in the sky its light could penetrate your blinds that bit more.
So, perhaps full moon migraines are a thing, in the sense that disruption to your sleep could cause headaches. If you’re worried about your headaches or migraines, always check with your GP. More information on headaches can be found at NHS.uk.