Anyone who goes to space may suffer from a “space headache,” but how this occurs is not clear

Astronauts have been dealing with it for some time: Mysterious migraines while traveling to… International Space Station (ISS). Researchers have now researched this for the first time. This indicates that it occurs more often than previously thought.

Scientist WPJ Van Oosterhout contributed to the research. “In space, the balance organ faces a big problem,” he says. The incoming signals are not the same signals that the vestibular system expects to receive. This could lead to Space motion sicknessHeadache is a common symptom. The same research shows that it is not yet possible to explain how this conflict can ultimately lead to headaches. However, Van Oosterhout has a possible hypothesis: “Our research shows that space headaches can be linked to increased pressure in the skull itself.” The research has been published in the journal Neurology.

Space headache
For the study, 24 astronauts completed various questionnaires. These astronauts came from Europe, America and Japan. At the beginning of the research, the astronauts had to undergo a medical examination and answer a number of questions. Nine of the astronauts indicated that they had never suffered from headaches or migraines before. During the first week of their stay on the International Space Station, astronauts recorded daily whether they experienced headaches. After this first week, the astronauts switched to repeating the questionnaire once per week. Their stay in space can sometimes be very long; Maximum 26 weeks.

A subsequent analysis found that 92% of astronauts experienced headaches while in space, and 38% experienced headaches before departure. In total, astronauts suffered from headaches 378 times while in space. The researchers discovered that most astronauts mainly suffer from migraines during the first week of their stay. After this first week, complaints mainly consisted of headaches due to intense feelings of tension. During their first three months back on Earth, none of the astronauts experienced more headaches.

to treat
The study results are important because they show for the first time that space headaches actually exist. “More research is needed to uncover the underlying causes of space headaches,” explains Van Oosterhout. “In addition, we must at least develop more effective treatments that can help astronauts combat space headaches. This is a big problem for many astronauts.”