Studies of long-term immobilization on the human body

Bestrest studies are a very well-established and recognized model to study the effects of long-duration immobilization on the human body. Bedrest volunteers spend up to 60 days in bed tilted towards the head end, usually, at 6° below the horizontal. By putting volunteers in bed for a very long period of time, we mimick some aspects of spacetravel, such as disuse of muscles and the bodies of the volunteers start to adapt as if they were in space. Bed rest studies are therefore a valuable tool for simulating the effects of spaceflight on the human body.