Transcript

NARRATOR:

60 Second Adventures in Microgravity. Number three, bed rest. Being an astronaut might sound fun, but spending too much time in microgravity can lead to problems, as blood rushes to your head and your blood pressure drops because your heart doesn't need to work as hard. Over time, this can permanently affect your vision. And because you don't have to use your muscles and bones as much, in microgravity, they start to waste away, all of which resembles the effects of ageing, teaching us quite a lot about the ageing process itself. Though while astronauts are good guinea pigs, sending more of them into space would be very expensive.

[CHA-CHING]

ALL:

Ah!

NARRATOR:

So instead, we ask people to spend a lot of time in bed, up to six months. Because we've learned that lying with your head tilted down by about six degrees can simulate the effects of microgravity on blood flow, muscles, and bones, and even the immune system.

[SNEEZE]

In this way, scientists can study a large sample of people for the effects of ageing, as well as the consequences of long duration space travel, all very convenient, apart from dealing with the bedpans.