This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

This Is What Happens To Your Body When You Stay In Bed

Getting out of bed in the morning is actually a huge privilege.
Woman sleeping in bed
Hemera Technologies via Getty Images
Woman sleeping in bed

We’ve all felt it. That moment before you get out of bed in the morning, when you realize you’d rather stay in bed forever. While staying in bed may sound like the ultimate luxury, it’s actually nothing to wish for.

There are a host of health problems that come from spending days on end in bed ― a reality for those who are bedridden because of health issues. In the video above, Life Noggin narrator Pat Graziosi takes us through the series of unfortunate events that would unfold should anyone live in bed.

But first, Graziosi points out that NASA actually paid a man $18,000 to stay in bed for 70 days so they could study what happened to his body. Sounds like the best job ever, right?

Wrong. The moment study participant Andrew Iwanicki stood up for the first time in 70 days, his heart rate jumped to 150 beats per minute and he struggled to stay upright without fainting.

“It was no surprise my body acted this way, of course,” Iwanicki wrote at Vice. “After spending 70 days tilted at a negative-six-degree angle, I had lost about 20 percent of my total blood volume.”

Bedsores can be a dangerous side effect of sustained pressure on skin tissue, and many bedridden people experience a loss of muscle mass, strength and bone mass. Being confined to a bed can also lead to increased stress and anxiety.

Watch the video above and feel thankful for your ability to get out of bed in the morning. Appreciate the privilege ― not everyone is so lucky.