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. 2016 Feb;29(1):5-9.
doi: 10.2337/diaspect.29.1.5.

Physiology of Sleep

David W Carley  1 , Sarah S Farabi  2
Affiliations

Physiology of Sleep

David W Carley et al. Diabetes Spectr. 2016 Feb.

Abstract

IN BRIEF Far from a simple absence of wakefulness, sleep is an active, regulated, and metabolically distinct state, essential for health and well-being. In this article, the authors review the fundamental anatomy and physiology of sleep and its regulation, with an eye toward interactions between sleep and metabolism.

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Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Brain networks regulating sleep and wakefulness. Panel A depicts key elements of the ascending arousal systems, with diffuse excitatory projections to the cortex. Panel B shows pathways arising from the hypothalamus that inactivate the ascending arousal system during sleep. ACh, acetylcholine; DA, dopamine; GABA, gamma amino-butyric acid; Gal, galanin; HA, histamine; LDT, laterodorsal tegmentum; NE, norepinephrine; ORX, orexin; PeF, perifornical region; PPT, pedunculopontine tegmentum; TMN, tuberomammillary nucleus; vPAG, ventral periaqueductal gray matter; 5-HT, 5-hydroxytryptamine.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
EEG features of sleep/wake stages (left) and typical temporal organization of healthy nocturnal sleep in an adult (right).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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