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  • Hey there and welcome to Life Noggin.

  • You spend about one-third of your life sleeping.

  • And chances are, you are doing that in your bed.

  • But what if you spent all your time in that bed?

  • What if you never left?

  • I mean, that memory foam can't hurt me right...right?! Oh right, I know the answer.

  • Sadly, it can.

  • And believe it or not, NASA paid a guy 18 thousand dollars to lie in bed for 70 days.

  • They wanted to study the effects of microgravity on the human body, and lying down for so long simulates the effects of long-haul flights on astronauts' bodies.

  • The beds were tilted back six degrees, causing the bodily fluids to shift to the upper body, which duplicated some of the effects of low-gravity environments.

  • After the 70 days, the first time the volunteer was vertical, his heart rate jumped to 150 beats per minute and felt like he was going to collapse,

  • which is definitely not great for an otherwise-healthy man.

  • But this study is different than most, because it simulated microgravity.

  • Instead, let's talk about what would happen if you never left a normal bed that wasn't tilted backwards.

  • Well, firstly, you will probably start to develop bedsores.

  • These are caused by the pressure on the skin that limits the amount of blood flow to the skin and nearby tissues.

  • Basically, imagine this: the tissue between your bones and the bed is under a lot of pressure from your body weight.

  • And if that pressure is great enough, the nutrient-rich blood won't be able to reach your cells and they will be damaged and eventually die.

  • The sores usually occur in areas like your tailbone, hips, and shoulder blades.

  • And be warned: they are not pretty.

  • Not even with a little bit of coral blue lipstick.

  • Also, you'll start to get weaker -- especially if you are immobile in the bed.

  • See, muscles at complete rest lose 10 to 15 percent of their strength per week.

  • In just 3 to 5 weeks, the muscle has lost nearly half of its strength.

  • So good luck lifting that laptop off of your lap as easily as before.

  • Complete rest will also cause your endurance to decrease, leading to fatigue and even more inactivity.

  • And your muscles will begin to atrophy too, losing their mass.

  • And your bones also lose their mass, eventually stabilizing around 40 to 70% of their original mass.

  • This is caused by increased bone resorption, which is a process that breaks bones down, eventually fast enough that it outweighs the rate of new bone growth.

  • And this can lead to conditions like osteoporosis.

  • And on top of all that, every two days of immobilization, your resting heart rate increases by one beat per minute, eventually plateauing.

  • And even more, your blood volume decreases as well.

  • Because of this, since the blood carries oxygen, there is less oxygen uptake by your cells, which means you'll get tired much more easily.

  • And that's not even all of it, people!

  • There are tons of other negative effects of bed rest, like increased anxiety, increased risk of kidney stones, and increased risk of pneumonia.

  • So, while your bed may be incredibly comfortable, you should definitely try to limit the time you spend in it.

  • Trust me, your body will thank you.

  • So you Sleepy Sallys, how much time do you spend in your bed? Or are you more of an active type?

  • Let me know in the comment sections below.

  • Make sure you come back every Monday for a brand-new video.

  • As always, I'm Blocko and this has been Life Noggin.

  • Don't forget to keep on thinking!

Hey there and welcome to Life Noggin.

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