George Brainard on astronauts’ sleep
Motion restraints and a dark mask help this floating astronaut fall asleep aboard the brightly-lit freely falling space shuttle. (NASA)
“Can you blue-enrich white appearing light and get a stronger circadian stimulus for the astronauts? And will this in fact help their sleep?” – George Brainard
George Brainard is a neuroscientist working with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. Many astronauts find their normal biological cycles – or circadian rhythms – are disrupted by the experience of being in space. Brainard spoke to EarthSky’s Lindsay Patterson about his work with lighting systems that should help astronauts get better sleep and stay more alert on the job.
Special thanks today to the National Space Biomedical Research Institute —
innovations for health in space and on Earth.
