WEBVTT - How Do Astronauts Sleep in Space? 0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:06.400 Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 0:00:06.519 --> 0:00:10.520 brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here. When we settle into our 0:00:10.560 --> 0:00:14.000 beds at night, we usually experience a pleasant sense of 0:00:14.120 --> 0:00:18.120 unburdening after a long day of walking, sitting and standing, 0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:21.560 letting gravity do the work, and sinking into a soft 0:00:21.600 --> 0:00:25.520 mattress can be a relief. But over two hundred miles 0:00:25.600 --> 0:00:29.280 or three kilometers above the Earth, astronauts live and work 0:00:29.360 --> 0:00:33.120 in microgravity aboard the International Space Station, and going to 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:38.080 sleep in microgravity presents a much different situation. Cruise on 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:40.479 the I S S may live in space for hundreds 0:00:40.520 --> 0:00:42.960 of days at a stretch, and the details of each 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:46.960 day are scheduled beforehand. For example, a typical week day 0:00:47.000 --> 0:00:50.120 for the crew of Expedition eighteen eighteen permanent crew of 0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:52.440 the I S S began with a wake up call 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:54.680 at six a m u t C E t C 0:00:54.960 --> 0:00:57.920 being the same as GMT, which is used to reduce 0:00:58.000 --> 0:01:01.760 time zone confusion among countries. That was followed by ninety 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:04.000 minutes of time for eating breakfast and getting ready for 0:01:04.040 --> 0:01:07.080 the day. By seven thirty a m. The crew had 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:10.360 conference calls with each country's control center and embarked on 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:14.760 a morning of science experiments, maintenance, and small chores. Following 0:01:14.800 --> 0:01:16.839 an hour for lunch, the crew was back to work 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:20.959 along with more exercise, with one final planning conference call 0:01:21.040 --> 0:01:23.679 with each control center. The day wrapped up around five 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:26.360 thirty or six p m, followed by dinner at eight 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:30.840 p m and bedtime at nine thirty. After all that, 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:33.120 the least an astronaut could ask for is a good 0:01:33.200 --> 0:01:36.880 night's sleep, but even the idea of night changes when 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:40.479 you're in space. Orbiters zoom around the Earth multiple times 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:44.319 a day, and with the effects of microgravity and weightlessness, 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:47.320 even the quality of sleep in space is different from 0:01:47.400 --> 0:01:52.200 that on Earth. Spacecraft like the ISSS have pressurized cabins 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:54.200 and are filled with the same kind of air we 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:57.160 breathe on Earth, and the atmosphere on board is made 0:01:57.160 --> 0:02:00.720 to feel as close to sea level as possible, but 0:02:00.960 --> 0:02:06.040 microgravity causes astronauts to experience the effects of near weightlessness. 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:09.800 Setting up a traditional earthly bed cot or hammock can't 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:12.400 be part of the plan because the astronaut and the 0:02:12.440 --> 0:02:16.160 sleeping surface itself would drift off as the astronaut you know, 0:02:16.440 --> 0:02:19.960 drifted off. Most of the crew on the I S 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:22.200 S choose to sleep in their own cabin or in 0:02:22.240 --> 0:02:25.800 an I S S module. American crew members sleeping quarters 0:02:25.840 --> 0:02:29.120 are soundproof, private cabin for one set ups where an 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:31.600 astronaut can not only catch some z s, but also 0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:34.400 catch up on email. The catch is that they need 0:02:34.480 --> 0:02:38.480 to tether themselves to something to avoid floating away. Most 0:02:38.520 --> 0:02:41.480 astronauts choose sleeping bags tethered to the floor, the walls, 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:45.080 or the ceiling, though in the microgravity environment there's no 0:02:45.160 --> 0:02:47.600 such thing as up, which means it's just as easy 0:02:47.680 --> 0:02:51.760 to sleep vertically as you would horizontally back home. It's 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:54.560 also important to secure your arms and legs to avoid 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:57.400 them hovering off and hitting other objects as you sleep. 0:02:58.600 --> 0:03:02.560 Adjusting to sleeping in space takes a long time for astronauts. 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:05.639 Our bodies and brains are used to certain circadian rhythms 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:08.680 the twenty four hour cycle of waking and sleeping, and 0:03:08.760 --> 0:03:12.239 disturbing them can cause sleep difficulties, which in turn can 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:15.160 impact your mood, how well you concentrate, and how much 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:17.960 energy you have, as well as how healthy your body is. 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:21.119 The chronic sleep deprivation can lead to an increased risk 0:03:21.160 --> 0:03:26.760 of conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension, so to 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:30.280 avoid any distracting light and heat from the sun, astronauts 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:33.640 will cover up any windows they may be near. Astronauts 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:36.520 also often choose to wear sleep masks, the same as 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:38.240 we might wear on Earth when we want to shut 0:03:38.280 --> 0:03:42.680 out distracting light. There's noise to be contended with. Two. 0:03:42.720 --> 0:03:46.320 Because fans, air filters, and other equipment provides life support 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:48.760 to the astronauts, the I s S is filled with 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:53.600 constant whirring noises a continual hum. Astronauts sometimes sleep with 0:03:53.640 --> 0:03:56.760 earplugs too dampen the sound, but after a while, many 0:03:56.800 --> 0:04:00.800 reports they just get used to it. Combine the light 0:04:00.920 --> 0:04:04.800 and the noise with the unnatural feeling of floating motion, sickness, 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:08.839 aches and pains, relatively poor ventilation and temperature control, as 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:11.880 well as a new sunrise every ninety minutes, being the 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:13.880 amount of time it takes for the space station to 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:18.479 circumnavigate the Earth. Insomnia and sleep deprivation are a common 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:22.480 and serious problem for humans in space. NASA reports that 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:25.680 sleeping pills are the second most common drug astronauts take 0:04:25.839 --> 0:04:32.960 after pain killers to help combat astronaut insomnia. NASA also 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:36.160 budgets at least eight hours of Sleep every Day, promotes 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:41.240 relaxation techniques, and provides sleep hygiene education. But despite it all, 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:44.960 astronauts average between thirty to sixty minutes less sleep each 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:49.000 night than they get at home on Earth. Something like 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:52.960 nine million earth bound Americans rely on prescriptions sleep inducing 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:56.159 medication to get a decent night's sleep, and that's not 0:04:56.240 --> 0:04:58.560 even counting those of us who try tease over the 0:04:58.600 --> 0:05:02.160 counter remedies or suffer through it. But it seems that 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:05.960 this is a common human denominator. Insomnia plag exists in 0:05:06.120 --> 0:05:14.000 space too. Today's episode is based on the article what 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:16.039 is it Like to Sleep in Space? On how stuff 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:18.960 Works dot com, written by John Fuller and Maria Treemarchi. 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:21.880 Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio in partnership 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:23.720 with how stuff Works dot Com, and it's produced by 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:27.080 Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts my heart Radio visit the 0:05:27.120 --> 0:05:29.800 i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:30.800 to your favorite shows.