Uttarkashi rescue: The rescue operation is still going on to bring out the trapped workers in the Silkyara tunnel. On November 12, 41 workers were trapped inside the tunnel after it collapsed early in the morning during reprofiling work.
It has been 13 days since the workers have been trapped inside the collapsed tunnel. Multiple health experts and ambulances have been stationed at the location to provide medical care. The workers are being provided with essentials such as food, water and medicine inside the tunnel and communication is being maintained.
The doctors have also advised the workers to be engaged in games and other activities that can relieve stress. However, the lack of natural light or sunlight can have effects on them. Being in an enclosed space for a prolonged period of time can also affect their well-being.
Human body can be affected by staying in an enclosed space for prolonged hours. Here are some of the ways that prolonged absence of sunlight or entrapment can affect the human body:
Insomnia: Lack of sleep is one of the common effects caused by tension and restlessness.
Fluctuation in body temperature: The body temperature might increase or decrease if entrapped for a long time.
Sugar-level: Sugar levels are also affected. It can dangerously decrease or increase due to stress.
Loss of appetite: Since the sensitivity of the human body decreases, it causes a loss of appetite in humans.
Hypoxia: Staying inside an enclosed space such that of a tunnel can cause hypoxia in the human body which is the deficiency of oxygen. It can lead to other issues due to lack of oxygen.
Electrolyte imbalance: Being in an enclosed environment can cause severe dehydration. Due to dehydration one loses important nutrients and minerals from the body.
Entrapment not only affects the physiological well being of a human, it also affects the psychological well being. Here’s how:
PTSD & Hallucination: A person who has been entrapped in an enclosed environment for a long time can suffer from Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. People suffering from PTSD often experience hallucinations which means that they can perceive things in their surroundings which in reality does not exist.
They can often have flashbacks of the traumatic event that they have faced. This causes extreme stress and restlessness in the human body.
