Lack of day and night can harm miners' health

• April 26, 2024

The 33 Chilean miners trapped 700 meters underground, at the San José mine, they are still waiting to be rescued . The psychologist Alberto Iturra Benavides lives only 35 kilometers from the mine and has been called by the government to attend to the workers and their possible behavior changes derived from confinement.

As part of the international aid experts of the POT They have helped Dr. Iturra to manage the mental health of the miners. But there is a condition that even for the same doctor has been a learning opportunity, the so-called "Cardiac rhtyms" or biological

• What are they and what role do circadian rhythms play?

The word circadian comes from the Latin 'circa' (about ) and 'diano' (day), and as the name implies, the period they comprise is approximately one day .

Circadian rhythms and metabolism are closely associated. Thanks to their interaction, the cells function properly and remain healthy. 24-hour circadian rhythms They lead physiological functions fundamentals in living organisms. These essential time tracking systems (in the body) anticipate environmental changes and adapt them to the time of day. The alteration of these rhythms can exert a profound influence on human health, which has been related to obesity, diabetes, insomnia, depression, heart disease and cancer, to name a few examples.

Situation in the mine

"There are about 20 body systems conditioned by the way our life is ordered through the light of day and night ... You can avoid many negative moods if you know how to regulate those environments well. But it will not be easy. We are going to commission special lights, which will surely be manufactured in the United States, to create environmental conditions. They have to be very precise, you have to grade them millimeter-by-minute, day by day, so as not to damage their sight. We are going to find a big problem that we will have to solve together with the mine engineers: in a ship, with turning off certain lights, you already have the atmosphere at night. But down there will be two shifts of work. And they will have to be separated very clearly. It will not be easy, but we will achieve it, "said Dr. Alberto to the newspaper. The country .

The experts from NASA have advised Dr. Iturra to work to prevent the miners from meeting with their relatives, as person who has lived isolated handles totally different life times To his family. Outside, different situations are faced to those of the group within the mine. According to the experts, the same miners that entered will not leave, 33 different people will come out due to this experience. "