September 5, 2024 - What is it like to sleep in space? With 16 sunsets, getting shut-eye is a little harder than usual. Find out how astronauts doze in zero gravity.

In space, sleeping on the floor is just as comfortable as sleeping on the wall: there is no difference in the weightless environment. However, since astronauts are used to sleeping on a mattress on Earth, their sleeping bag has a rigid cushion, ...

September 21, 2025 - Fatigue due to sleep loss, sleep ... as well as the health and safety of those on board. Sleeping in space requires that astronauts sleep in a crew cabin, a small room about the size of a shower stall. They lie in a sleeping bag which is strapped to the wall....

November 16, 2021 - Sleeping in space was an outstanding” experience for NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, who has flown two spaceflights and spent more than 100 days in space. There’s no up or down in microgravity, so astronauts can choose to sleep in any direction that’s comfortable. “I always chose the ceiling to sleep on, because where else can you sleep on the ceiling?” says Stott. “It was so cool to tie your sleeping bag onto the overhead area and float into it, kind of like Dracula climbing up the wall.” · For safety purposes, an astronaut is often required to attach their sleeping bag to something.

August 7, 2024 - Kelly is a retired astronaut who spent 520 days in space. It was strange for Kelly to sleep without the weight of a blanket or the comfort of a pillow to rest his head. “Eventually, I was sleeping with my head kind of Velcroed to a cushion, so it feels like your head is up against a pillow,” says Kelly.

They have to strap themselves to their sleep station so they don't float off in their sleep. People's arms tend to float up in front of them. If ventilation isn't effective, breathing can be less efficie...

September 4, 2025 - The ISS orbits 254 miles above the earth's surface, and getting a good night's sleep is tough when lights are flashing in front of your eyes. Spacecraft have pressurized cabins filled with air.

December 15, 2023 - I also remember Chris Hadfield ... your bones or any of your muscles. No turning over, no sore shoulders; kind of like turning a sensory deprivation tank up to 11, aside from the noise....

During his Huginn mission, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen will run two experiments focusing on sleeping in space: Circadian Light and Sleep in Orbit. Astronauts on the Space Station do a full circle of Earth every 90 minutes and experience 16 sunsets and sunrises every day. With this unearthly routine, astronauts can struggle to find a natural daily rhythm in space.

May 5, 2025 - It was a relief to see them return, but it all made me wonder: How did the castaways manage to get enough rest floating weightless for nine months? To learn more, I talked with Erin Flynn-Evans and Rachel Jansen, two researchers at NASA who study how spaceflight affects astronauts’ sleep. ... George F. WillA president who treats Washington like his chew toy

July 30, 2025 - It's not like this nice gentle white noise. It is a very obtrusive sound. And then there are a lot of other random sounds that come into it as the space vehicle moves. And of course you can imagine sleeping with a hairdryer and lots of random knocking in a strange place might make it difficult to sleep.

February 3, 2025 - Astronauts on the International Space Station orbit every 90 minutes, so the experience of cycles of light and dark is totally different to that on Earth. Light is the main synchronising cue for our internal body clock, and light also suppresses the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. So exposure to – or absence of – light at inappropriate times disrupts our bodies’ circadian rhythms and makes it difficult to sleep.

July 6, 2019 - Floating in zero-g is apparently extremely comfortable no pressure points and it closely mimics the same feeling of a fetus floating in fluid. If I remember correctly if you don’t strap yourself down you will wake up in the fetal position.

In the zero-gravity world, there are no "ups" or "downs". The astronauts can sleep anywhere facing any direction. But it's not good to be floating away somewhere while sleeping. So the astronauts use small sleeping compartments and sleeping bags. They will strap their bodies loosely so that ...

June 22, 2023 - In a recent interview with Travel & Leisure, retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly shared plenty of details about sleeping in space. (After spending 520 days in space during his career, he certainly qualifies as an expert on space sleep!) “Space isn’t as spacious as you might think, particularly when it comes to your bedroom,” he said.

After a long day working in orbit, there is nothing like a good night’s sleep! However, sleeping is a little different in space. There is no up or down, and everything is weightless. Astronauts can attach their sleeping bags to a wall or a ceiling, and sleep anywhere as long as they don’t ...

August 8, 2019 - It’s a far cry from the spacious beds we have on Earth, but it’s still better than the shared sleeping compartment on the space shuttle, which Mike Massimino, a former NASA astronaut, describes as “a big slumber party.” The trick, Massimino says, was to remember to strap your sleeping bag to the wall so your body wouldn’t drift around during the night. But even when they’re strapped in, astronauts’ arms tend to float out in front of them while they sleep, making them look like tired zombies. It sounds like something from a nightmare, but this, Massimino says, is just the reality of slumbering in space.

June 11, 2021 - Every effort is made to provide space station crewmembers with a sleeping environment that encourages healthy, undisrupted sleep times. Private sleeping quarters like those currently found aboard the station minimize the opportunity for disruption from other crewmembers and allow for varying sleep schedules.