{"id":24345,"date":"2025-03-19T18:32:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T19:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=24345"},"modified":"2025-03-19T20:27:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T20:27:35","slug":"what-nine-months-in-space-does-to-the-human-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=24345","title":{"rendered":"What nine months in space does to the human body"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-0 haItSe\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-1 cjDa-dM\">55 minutes ago<\/p>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-12 fcCDwR\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-5 evAEAB\">\n<div><span class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-7 kItaYD\">James Gallagher<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 EXUng\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/21dae3a0-04cf-11f0-9f2d-675a5bf1e8db.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Getty Images The International Space Stations orbiting above the Earth\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Spending time in space and having an unrivalled view of planet Earth is an experience many of us dream of.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">However, the human body evolved to function in the gravity of Earth. So time in the weightlessness of space can take years to fully recover from.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are back on Earth after their eight-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) unexpectedly became a nine-month enforced stay. Now, their recovery begins.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Space is by far the most extreme environment that humans have ever encountered and we&#8217;ve just not evolved to handle the extreme conditions,&#8221; Prof Damian Bailey, who studies human physiology, at the University of South Wales, says.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Entering space changes the human body \u2013 and initially that feels awesome.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It feels like a holiday,&#8221; astronaut Tim Peake, who went to the ISS in 2015, says.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Your heart is having an easy time. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Your muscles and bones are having an easy time. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;You&#8217;re floating around the space station in this wonderful zero-gravity environment.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Imagine spending weeks lounging around in bed and never having to get up \u2013 this is actually one technique <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/exchange.nottingham.ac.uk\/blog\/want-to-lie-in-bed-for-research\/\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">scientists use<!-- --><\/a> to investigate the impact of zero gravity &#8211; and you start to get the picture.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">Muscle strength<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">But when it comes to muscle, it is a case of use it or lose it.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Even the simple act of standing still uses muscles throughout the body to hold you upright. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">And that is not happening in the microgravity on board the ISS. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Muscle strength takes on a different meaning when everything is practically weightless. <!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">&#8216;Accelerated ageing&#8217;<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The heart and your blood vessels also have an easier time as they no longer have to pump blood against gravity &#8211; and they start to weaken.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">And the bones become weaker and more brittle.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">There should be a balance between the cells breaking down old bone and those making new. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">But that balance is disrupted without the feedback and resistance of working against gravity.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Every month, about 1% of their bone and muscles are going to wither away \u2013 it&#8217;s accelerated ageing,&#8221; Prof Bailey says.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">And this becomes apparent on the return to Earth. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The video below shows the astronauts needing support to get their bodies out of the capsule and on to a stretcher.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">All of this is why astronauts go up to space in tip-top physical condition. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Then, their daily routine involves two hours of exercise \u2013 a combination of treadmill, cycling machine and weights &#8211; to maintain as much muscle and bone health as possible.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">And now, Suni and Butch will start an intense exercise training programme to regain their lost function.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It will probably take them a few months to build up their muscle mass,&#8221; Dr Helen Sharman, who was the first Briton in space, says.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Bone mass could take a &#8220;couple of years&#8221; until it recovers &#8211; but even then, there are &#8220;subtle changes in the type of bone that we do rebuild after returning to Earth that may never return to completely normal&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">But that is just muscle and bone \u2013 space changes the whole body. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Even the types of good bacteria living in us \u2013 the microbiome \u2013 are altered.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f16cd1d0-0454-11f0-88b7-5556e7b55c5e.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"NASA Suni Williams exits the capsule smiling in a white space suit and helmet helped by two assistants dressed in black.\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">NASA<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The fluids in the body also shift in microgravity.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Instead of being pulled down towards the legs as on Earth, fluid drifts up towards the chest and face. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">A puffy face is one of the first noticeable changes in the body.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">But this can also lead to swelling in the brain and changes in the eye, including to the optic nerve, retina and even the shape of the eye.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">And this &#8220;spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome&#8221; can lead to blurred vision and potentially irreversible damage.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">&#8216;Feeling dizzy&#8217;<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Microgravity also distorts the vestibular system, which is how you balance and sense which way is up.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">In space, there is no up, down or sideways.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">It can be disorientating when you go up &#8211; and again when you return to Earth.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Tim Peake says: &#8220;That initial phase of stopping feeling dizzy, of regaining your balance and having strength to walk around normally, that&#8217;s just two or three days.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Those first two or three days back on Earth can be really punishing.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>55 minutes ago<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24345"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24350,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24345\/revisions\/24350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}