Sleep Structure and Autonomic Nervous System State during Four Months of Isolation at a Space-Analogue Mission

Sleep Structure and Autonomic Nervous System State during Four Months of Isolation at a Space-Analogue Mission Full article

Journal

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
ISSN: 1662-5161

Output data

Year: 2026, Number: 20, Article number : 1720237, Pages count : 10 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2026.1720237

Tags

Autonomic Nervous System, Heart Rate Variability, Sleep, Astronauts, Biomarkers, Space-Analogue Mission

Authors

Glos Martin ¹ , Salanitro Matthew ¹ , Laharnar Naima ¹ , Demin Artem ² , Penzel Thomas ¹ , Fietze Ingo ^1,3

Affiliations

1	Interdisciplinary Center of Sleep Medicine, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
2	Russian Federation State Research Center, Institute of Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
3	Department of Medicine, Southwest Medical University Affiliated Zigong Hospital, Zigong, Sichuan, China

ABSTRACT Insufficient or disturbed sleep impairs nocturnal physiological recovery and may negatively affect autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation. Astronauts are a particularly vulnerable group due to sustained workloads, isolation, and exposure to extreme operational conditions. The present study investigated the interaction between sleep structure and ANS state under different sleep conditions during a prolonged space-analogue mission (SAM) conducted within the Scientific International Research In a Unique terrestrial Station (SIRIUS-19) project. Six healthy participants (3 men, 3 women; age 34.3 ± 5.7 years) were studied across eight nights during the four-month SIRIUS-19 mission: one night pre-isolation and one postisolation with undisturbed sleep, and six nights during isolation comprising three undisturbed nights, one night of complete sleep deprivation, and two nights with experimentally induced sleep fragmentation (repeated short awakenings vs. one prolonged awakening). Sleep structure and ANS state were assessed using a portable, self-applicable medical sleep recording system capturing EEG, EOG, ECG, and plethysmography signals. Significant differences between nights were observed for total sleep time (p = 0.003), with undisturbed isolation nights exceeding seven hours of sleep, whereas sleep fragmentation was associated with reduced sleep efficiency below 80%. ANS state parameters differed significantly across conditions, including pulse rate (p < 0.0001) and heart rate variability LF/HF ratio (p < 0.005), with the most pronounced autonomic activation occurring during the night of complete sleep deprivation. Using a portable monitoring approach, this study demonstrates that nocturnal ANS regulation under prolonged isolation is relatively resilient to moderate sleep fragmentation but markedly affected by sustained sleep loss. These findings highlight the importance of preserving restorative sleep continuity when planning operationally demanding space missions and support the feasibility of portable sleep and ANS monitoring in extreme environments.

Glos M. , Salanitro M. , Laharnar N. , Demin A. , Penzel T. , Fietze I.
Sleep Structure and Autonomic Nervous System State during Four Months of Isolation at a Space-Analogue Mission
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2026. N20. 1720237 :1-10. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2026.1720237 OpenAlex

Submitted:	Oct 7, 2025
Accepted:	Mar 23, 2026
Published online:	Apr 14, 2026

OpenAlex:

W7154353740

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