The thought of exploring space is an exciting one! We often imagine what it would be like to catch a glimpse of Earth from the sky or to take a few steps on the moon. What we never imagine, though, is the stress, loneliness, and anxiety experienced right before takeoff, during space travel, and to the moment the astronauts complete their mission. Space travel can be an amazing and exciting adventure, but it comes with its downfalls, as well.
There are many ways space exploration affects an astronaut’s mental health. Space is not intended to be beneficial for human beings. It is dark, there is no set day and night, and there are so many unknowns floating around in the universe. This is why astronauts are required to undergo extensive mental health exams before their mission.
Space exploration can cause significant stress from take off to mission completion. Think about it. Space exploration is a stressful and terrifying adventure. An astronaut will be very likely to experience high levels of stress throughout their mission. High levels of stress have been linked to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. It has also been linked to physical health issues related to the immune, digestive, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems.
The stress experienced by the astronauts has been linked to some benefits to astronaut’s mental health, as well. A study concluded that space exploration may lead to salutogenesis, a process in which people are positively impacted through the need to adapt to harsh and stressful environments. Astronauts have been surveyed to examine their experience with stress in the harsh environment they were exposed to during space exploration. The researchers that distributed the surveys found that all the astronauts who returned a survey were positively impacted by their experience with space flight.
Space flight can throw off an astronaut’s sleep schedules. Throughout a single 24-hour day on Earth, astronauts exploring space will find themselves watching a whopping 16 sunrises and sunsets. This can lead to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation has been linked to many mental health issues, including depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. Therefore, to protect both their physical and mental health, astronauts must establish some kind of routine to sneak in the necessary hours of shut-eye throughout their time in space.
Space travel requires its explorers to be away from their loved ones for extended periods. While the astronauts will likely be in a crew when they are on a mission, loneliness is still a likely side effect of space exploration. Being away from loved ones may leave these astronauts feeling depressed, anxious, sad, and lonely.
Lastly, there have been some suspicions that exposure to radiation in outer space may have the biggest impact on astronaut’s mental health. The effects of exposure to radiation in outer space are not yet completely understood, but it has been known to cause radiation sickness and damage to the nervous system.
Space exploration is an exciting, thrilling, and fascinating chance for astronauts to explore. It can also be stressful, harsh, lonely, and terrifying. The brave men and women who explore space will adapt to the stresses of space exploration. This is why NASA has developed a Behavioral Health Team. This team works to ensure that the astronauts remain mentally healthy throughout their mission. While there is still a lot of research needed in regards to space exploration and mental health, NASA has taken extra precautions to protect their astronauts from ensuring they are being fed delicious and healthy food, move their bodies, enjoy their work, have a good support system, and can have their privacy when needed.
