Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here. When we settle into our beds at night, we usually experience a pleasant sense of unburdening after a long day of walking, sitting and standing, letting gravity do the work, and sinking into a soft mattress can be a relief. But over two hundred miles or three kilometers above the Earth, astronauts live and work in microgravity aboard the International Space Station, and going to
sleep in microgravity presents a much different situation. Cruise on the I S S may live in space for hundreds of days at a stretch, and the details of each day are scheduled beforehand. For example, a typical week day for the crew of Expedition eighteen eighteen permanent crew of the I S S began with a wake up call at six a m u t C E t C being the same as GMT, which is used to reduce
time zone confusion among countries. That was followed by ninety minutes of time for eating breakfast and getting ready for the day. By seven thirty a m. The crew had conference calls with each country's control center and embarked on a morning of science experiments, maintenance, and small chores. Following an hour for lunch, the crew was back to work along with more exercise, with one final planning conference call
with each control center. The day wrapped up around five thirty or six p m, followed by dinner at eight p m and bedtime at nine thirty. After all that, the least an astronaut could ask for is a good night's sleep, but even the idea of night changes when you're in space. Orbiters zoom around the Earth multiple times a day, and with the effects of microgravity and weightlessness, even the quality of sleep in space is different from
that on Earth. Spacecraft like the ISSS have pressurized cabins and are filled with the same kind of air we breathe on Earth, and the atmosphere on board is made to feel as close to sea level as possible, but microgravity causes astronauts to experience the effects of near weightlessness. Setting up a traditional earthly bed cot or hammock can't be part of the plan because the astronaut and the sleeping surface itself would drift off as the astronaut you know,
drifted off. Most of the crew on the I S S choose to sleep in their own cabin or in an I S S module. American crew members sleeping quarters are soundproof, private cabin for one set ups where an astronaut can not only catch some z s, but also catch up on email. The catch is that they need
to tether themselves to something to avoid floating away. Most astronauts choose sleeping bags tethered to the floor, the walls, or the ceiling, though in the microgravity environment there's no such thing as up, which means it's just as easy to sleep vertically as you would horizontally back home. It's also important to secure your arms and legs to avoid them hovering off and hitting other objects as you sleep. Adjusting to sleeping in space takes a long time for astronauts.
Our bodies and brains are used to certain circadian rhythms the twenty four hour cycle of waking and sleeping, and disturbing them can cause sleep difficulties, which in turn can impact your mood, how well you concentrate, and how much energy you have, as well as how healthy your body is. The chronic sleep deprivation can lead to an increased risk of conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension, so to avoid any distracting light and heat from the sun, astronauts
will cover up any windows they may be near. Astronauts also often choose to wear sleep masks, the same as we might wear on Earth when we want to shut out distracting light. There's noise to be contended with. Two. Because fans, air filters, and other equipment provides life support to the astronauts, the I s S is filled with constant whirring noises a continual hum. Astronauts sometimes sleep with earplugs too dampen the sound, but after a while, many
reports they just get used to it. Combine the light and the noise with the unnatural feeling of floating motion, sickness, aches and pains, relatively poor ventilation and temperature control, as well as a new sunrise every ninety minutes, being the amount of time it takes for the space station to circumnavigate the Earth. Insomnia and sleep deprivation are a common and serious problem for humans in space. NASA reports that sleeping pills are the second most common drug astronauts take
after pain killers to help combat astronaut insomnia. NASA also budgets at least eight hours of Sleep every Day, promotes relaxation techniques, and provides sleep hygiene education. But despite it all, astronauts average between thirty to sixty minutes less sleep each night than they get at home on Earth. Something like nine million earth bound Americans rely on prescriptions sleep inducing medication to get a decent night's sleep, and that's not even counting those of us who try tease over the
counter remedies or suffer through it. But it seems that this is a common human denominator. Insomnia plag exists in space too. Today's episode is based on the article what is it Like to Sleep in Space? On how stuff Works dot com, written by John Fuller and Maria Treemarchi. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com, and it's produced by
Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts my heart Radio visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.