A new study shows that astronauts with no history of headaches are likely to experience space headaches aboard the ISS.
A new study sheds light on the effects of microgravity on the human brain. In a new paper published in the journalThey found that astronauts with no prior history of headaches will likely experience migraines or tension headaches in space. This is especially true if they spend 10 or more days in space.The researchers studied a group of 24 astronauts from NASA, the European Space Agency , and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency .
“The vestibular system, which affects balance and posture, has to adapt to the conflict between the signals it is expecting to receive and the actual signals it receives in the absence of normal gravity,” he continued. “This can lead to space motion sickness in the first week, of which headache is the most frequently reported symptom. Our study shows that headaches also occur later in space flight and could be related to an increase in pressure within the skull.
The researchers found that 92 percent of astronauts experienced headaches during spaceflight. By comparison, only 38 percent had experienced headaches before spaceflight. Thankfully, space headaches don’t seem to continue to affect astronauts after they return to Earth. Three months after landing on Earth, none of the astronauts reported any headaches.
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