Electrophysiological measures of sleep pressure during wakefulness in the course of isolation at the Concordia Antarctica station and physical activity as a countermeasure

Concordia station in Antarctica is one of the most remote human outpost on Earth. Because of its geographical location, a winterover at Concordia shares a lot of stressors with a space mission. Following a recent study on the markers of sleep pressure during wakefulness on board of the International Space Station, we were investigating if long term isolation in a space analogue station shows similar effects on sleep pressure. Unlike in space, markers of sleep pressure did not increase during isolation’s constant darkness period in Antarctica. When measures of sleep pressure were high in the evening, psychological strain was increased, emphasising the importance of keeping sleep pressure under physiological levels during the mission. As a first indication for a countermeasure, we showed that one hour of bicycle exercise during lunch time could decrease sleep pressure. All these observations need to be further studied in a more controlled environment.