It's not always comfortable to be in space.
One thing is certain: the human body is not designed for space travel.
Our muscles and balance are not designed to be weightless. We are not at all able to survive outside the layers of air in the atmosphere.
However, people in space. Some are there for a long time.
Astronauts on the ISS can live there for up to six months at a time.
Weak and seasick
Inside the space station there is air, just like on Earth. But there is almost no risk. Astronauts fly around and are weightless.
This is why many astronauts get sick. For example, muscles may become weaker because they do not need to make any effort to walk or lift things. It is very important that astronauts exercise daily so that the muscles do not disappear.
Many astronauts also get seasick, especially at first. When there is no gravity, the sense of balance becomes completely distorted. Then it is easy to get nauseous.
But now scientists have found that the astronauts have another problem:
They get headaches.
Almost everyone had headaches
Researchers from the Netherlands examined 24 people who had been on the International Space Station for at least 10 days. The astronauts answered how often they had headaches on Earth. When they went out into the room, they had to record in their diary when they got a headache.
It turns out that almost everyone – 22 astronauts – got a headache at least once while on the International Space Station. Even people who have never had a headache on earth. The first week was particularly difficult.
Most people have regular headaches, but others experience a type of headache called migraine.
When you have a migraine, you often feel nauseous and cannot tolerate bright lights and loud noises. Some people see a strange flash before their eyes just before a headache occurs.
The important thing is that they went back down
Scientists don't know why so many astronauts get headaches while on the space station. They think it's important to know this.
Then it may be possible to do something to prevent headaches.
In the meantime, astronauts can take solace in one thing:
When the study participants returned to Earth, none of them experienced headaches for at least three months.
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