Many people across the world are night owls who love staying up at night. But what happens when you are made to stay in bed the whole time? Would that be possible even for a night owl? NASA recently announced a study that requires candidates to stay in bed for 60 days. The study is part of their NASA bed rest studies to observe the effects of immobility and bed rest on astronauts and to find ways to manage the decline in muscle atrophy and bone density problems usually faced by astronauts who have to stay for long durations in space.
1. Candidates have to remain in bed for 2 months
Candidates chosen for the studies will be made to stay in bed for 60 days and undergo rigorous, physical and psychological tests to be selected for the job.
2. NASA is looking for volunteers for bed test studies
NASA is looking for volunteers as part of their bed rest studies and will even pay handsomely for the job. Bit although the payout is awesome, the job will be a tough one where participants will lie on a special bed that reduces blood pressure and decreases blood volume gradually.
As days progress, the muscles of participants might start to deteriorate and sink into a condition called muscle atrophy which is what happens when you are immobile for a long time. Bone density will also decrease.
The special bed simulates how days in space affect astronauts. The bed that is tilted head down at a six-degree angle will affect the cardiovascular system similar to what happens in space. The body’s immunity also decreases increasing the risk of getting sick.
The rules say that you can do anything you please as long as you stay in bed. Candidates are separated into two groups where one group is allowed to exercise with special equipment and the other group is not allowed any activity except rest. During the entire sixty days, all participants are not allowed to leave their bed even if it means going to the loo or for food.
The experiment is being carried out to study how the body reacts towards long periods of rest and to see the affects space has on bone and muscle atrophy. The purpose of the study is to help NASA research and discovers new methods to maintain the health of astronauts in space.
It also aims to find out how an astronauts changing of physiology may impact future missions and their ability to perform certain tasks in space. It will also help NASA formulate counter measures to rectify such physiological impairments that space conditions impose upon astronauts.
In 2014, NASA Bed rest study conducted similar experiments where they even paid participants $18,000 to spend 70 days in bed. Andrew Iwanikci a participants detailed his experience of the entire study for VICE. He said ‘I experienced some serious headaches because the blood pressure increased in my head. My spine went through some serious pain. Staying horizontal is difficult. I’ve been told that it is difficult for the spine to deal with all the pressure of the organs lying on the spine throughout the day.’ At one point, he even wished ‘eternal damnation upon all of NASA.’
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