Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

Published in

Nature Research, npj Microgravity, 1(7), 2021

DOI: 10.1038/s41526-021-00177-1

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Altered sleep spindles and slow waves during space shuttle missions

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

AbstractSleep deficiencies and associated performance decrements are common among astronauts during spaceflight missions. Previously, sleep in space was analyzed with a focus on global measures while the intricate structure of sleep oscillations remains largely unexplored. This study extends previous findings by analyzing how spaceflight affects characteristics of sleep spindles and slow waves, two sleep oscillations associated with sleep quality and quantity, in four astronauts before, during and after two Space Shuttle missions. Analysis of these oscillations revealed significantly increased fast spindle density, elevated slow spindle frequency, and decreased slow wave amplitude in space compared to on Earth. These results reflect sleep characteristics during spaceflight on a finer electrophysiological scale and provide an opportunity for further research on sleep in space.