How cellphone’s mild impacts sleep? Astronaut to discover the science in area station

Have you ever been instructed to keep away from taking a look at your cellphone earlier than bedtime? That’s as a result of the blue mild emitted by screens can disrupt your Circadian rhythm, your physique’s pure response to sunlight modifications. Now, to know this, the European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, at the moment on the Huginn mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is engaged in two sleep-related experiments: Circadian Light and Sleep in Orbit. These experiments handle the challenges of sustaining a pure day by day rhythm in area, the place astronauts witness 16 sunsets and sunrises on daily basis as a result of ISS’s speedy orbit round Earth.

What is Circadian rhythm?

Circadian rhythm, based on ESA, is the bodily, psychological and behavioural modifications our our bodies bear over a interval of about 24 hours. Our inner clock is linked to the physique’s core temperature, which varies all through the day and triggers our metabolism and sleep cycle.

“Light exposure is obviously a factor influencing our rhythm as humans tend to wake up during the day and sleep at night,” ESA notes.

The experiment

To fight this disorienting phenomenon, Andreas is testing the Circadian Light Panel, a customized lamp developed by Danish firm SAGA Space Architects. This lamp emits mild spectra resembling pure circadian rhythms, aiding Andreas in regulating his circadian rhythm.

“In the evening, when Andreas goes to sleep, the light will glow in red to simulate a calming sunset. In the morning, when Andreas wakes up, the light will turn blue, evoking the colours of a morning sky,” ESA knowledgeable.

Maintaining a pure circadian rhythm is significant for astronauts’ well-being, because the ISS follows Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to take care of a constant schedule. The area station’s distinctive routine can disrupt the interior physique clock, which is intently linked to core physique temperature, metabolism, and the sleep cycle.

Sleeping in orbit experiment

Furthermore, researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark have geared up Andreas with an in-ear measuring gadget, much like headphones, to watch his mind’s electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns throughout sleep. This gadget goals to offer insights into the standard of sleep skilled by astronauts in area.

The goal of those experiments is “to gain knowledge of the way the conditions in space and on the ISS affect astronauts, and how this understanding can be used for the benefit of human health here on earth.”