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The free radical flux theory of sleep

Medical HypothesesPublished 1 October 1994
Eric Reimund
Citations242
SJR quartileQ3
SJR score0.39
SNIP0.33

TL;DR

A theory of sleep is proposed in which cerebral free radicals accumulate during wakefulness and are removed during sleep, which functions essentially as an antioxidant for the brain.

Abstract

A theory of sleep is proposed in which cerebral free radicals accumulate during wakefulness and are removed during sleep. Removal of excess free radicals during sleep is accomplished by decreased rate of formation of free radicals, and increased efficiency of endogenous antioxidant mechanisms. Thus, sleep functions essentially as an antioxidant for the brain.

Keywords

ChemistryMedicineBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology