The Science of Sleep

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Abstract

This volume reviews our scientific understanding of sleep, summarizing current knowledge related to its regulation, its functions, and the consequences of inadequate sleep, primarily in people. The first part outlines the historical development of research on sleep and circadian rhythms and introduces the principal methods used in human sleep and circadian rhythms research. The second part reviews the variables that affect human sleep, including development and aging, homeostatic and circadian regulators, and cultural and environmental factors. It also reviews similarities and differences in sleep in other species. A third part reviews the physiological mechanisms regulating sleep and circadian rhythms, including the roles of the circadian pacemaker, melatonin, key neurotransmitters, and other neurochemicals. It also addresses how brain mechanisms alter consciousness during sleep while permitting awareness of some environmental events. A fourth part discusses the impact of sleep duration and quality on cognitive functions, and on many aspects of human health and disease. It discusses the relations between sleep and metabolic and vascular diseases, immune system function, pain sensitivity, mood and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease. A final part introduces models of the functions of sleep, reviews the evidence that sleep is involved in neural plasticity and memory consolidation, and describes the physiological mechanisms by which sleep affects memory. Three appendices discuss dreaming and its regulation, the impact of obstructive sleep apnea, and narcolepsy and the immune system. A fourth appendix describes the major neuroscience tools commonly used to study sleep regulation, including their strengths and weaknesses.