Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Space and Gravity

You may not think about gravity a lot, but it’s something that the human body is designed to handle.

It’s what allows us to build muscle and maintain bone density, and it even helps with our motor control.

It also allows us to sleep under cozy covers, take a shower or go for a run.

So when astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams ended staying in microgravity on the International Space Station for nearly nine months, it put their bodies to the test.

The shifting of fluid in our bodies has a huge effect. Because we are 70% liquid, that fluid actually starts to move upward when you’re in space, and that can make you feel like you have a cold or blur your vision.

Studies have even found that space can change humans on a cellular level.

To combat muscle and bone density loss, the astronauts have to work out for hours every day and have specific nutrition plans to help keep them fit.

Williams has definitely mastered the space workout. She even competed in a triathlon with me back in 2012 — her from the ISS and me on Earth.

But just as astronauts have to adjust to life in microgravity, they have to get used to the Earth’s gravitational pull all over again when they return home.

This means fluid shifts again, things feel heavy again (even a pencil, said Wilmore), and you have to regain your sense of balance.

Scientists are still studying the long-term health effects of space, but NASA’s famous twin study found that most of the physical changes go back to baseline back on Earth, although it may take six months for some aspects to normalize.

But one of the biggest changes astronauts can experience is perhaps for the better. They often experience what is known as the “overview effect.”

“They get this profound experience that then influences their views on things when they return to Earth,” said Dr. Michael Harrison, an aerospace medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

They describe seeing the world from above as “beautiful” and “fragile.” And it

can even increase their sense of connection to others.

I’d say that’s a perspective we could all use. 🚀

Millions of loyal viewers follow and know him as Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the multiple Emmy Award-winning Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN and the go-to authority for major developments in medicine, personal health, and health care. Dr. Gupta is a practicing neurosurgeon and a dedicated global journalist who is passionate about inspiring Americans to lead healthier, more active lives. His devotion to reporting from war zones and natural disasters as well as on a range of medical and scientific topics has distinguished him as an integral reporter for audiences worldwide. Dr. Gupta’s speaking engagements are exclusively managed by Worldwide Speakers Group. Contact us to host him at your event.