Astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) complained to headaches. The reasons for its occurrence aroused disputes between scientists from Russia and the United States, RIA Novosti reports.
Americans are confident that the occurrence of migraine affected the increased maintenance of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere of the station. Their Russian colleagues disagree with this. From the report published on the website of the Moscow Region Center for the Training Center of Cosmonauts, it follows that astronauts suffer from headache due to the influence of weightlessness. According to scientists, in this case there is a tide of blood to the head. Also, the root cause may be that in a dream astronauts inhale exhaled air with an increased carbon dioxide content.
“There is no reason to believe that respiratory physiology in cosmic conditions against carbon dioxide is significantly different from earthly. Indirect signs of human well-being, in particular, the headache, which is up to 200, cannot give unequivocal information about the effect of CO2’s content. crews, “Russian specialists noted.
The report states that in 2008 due to complaints of some astronauts on headache, the American side put forward a decrease in the level of CO2. Since then, the limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the ISS consistently decreased. Currently, it is supported at less than three millimeters of mercury pillar, but “complaints of a number of astronauts on the headache continue.”
In 2014, NASA specialists published an article about the relationship between CO2 levels in an ISS atmosphere and a migraine in astronauts. The study showed that the headache complaints came in two cases: once when the station staff worked in a limited space with an insufficient air, the other – when the crew was gathered in one place.
Also, American scientists stated that when the US CDRA carbon dioxide removal system was turned off at the space station and only the Russian air system was working, the CO2 content was increased to 6.2 millimeters of mercury pillars. According to researchers, at this time “one of the crew members reported fatigue, calling it atypical compared to fatigue during the usual working day.” On this basis, NASA specialists considered a possible connection between the concentration of CO2 and the worsening of sleep, irritability and fatigue.
The Russian scientists in their report stressed that for more than 30 years, Russian and foreign cosmonauts, which flew in the “Salute” orbital stations, “Mir” and the ISS, did not complain about migraine. Although the average carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere of stations was about six millimeters of mercury pillar.