Mairesse et al. recently published a paper in the Journal of Sleep that looked at sleep, fatigue and psychomotor performance over a 13 month period in Antarctica. They propose that the polar environments serve as space analogues for assessing long journeys in space.
They found that “Space-analog conditions such as isolated confinement, extreme photoperiods and altered atmospheric conditions affect human sleep and performance. However, individual responses to these extreme environmental challenges show large differences and remain relatively stable under prolonged exposure. Ad hoc polysomnographic, including respiratory function monitoring is therefore recommended for selecting eligible candidates for extra-terrestrial sojourns.”
Perhaps we should all have a sleep study before we fly to Mars??
Citation
Olivier Mairesse, Eoin Macdonald-Nethercott, Daniel Neu, Helio Fernandez Tellez, Emilie Dessy, Xavier Neyt, Romain Meeusen, Nathalie Pattyn; A test case for Mars: human sleep and performance during a 13 month stay in Antarctica, Sleep, , zsy206, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsy206
