Research in the expanding field of space medicine has identified many ways in which a microgravity environment and other factors can meddle with the human body during space missions. A new study has added to the field by showing that astronauts are more likely to experience headaches in space than previously known.
The study involved 24 astronauts from the U.S., European and Japanese space agencies who traveled aboard the International Space Station for up to 26 weeks. All but two of them reported experiencing headaches in space.
This was a larger proportion than the researchers had expected based on prior anecdotal evidence. The headaches - some resembling migraines and others resembling tension headaches - occurred not only during the first couple of weeks in space as the body goes through the process of adapting to microgravity, but also later.
