Regulation of circulation and breathing during sleep: experimental aspects

Abstract

Both circulation and breathing show basic differences in regulation between synchronized sleep and desynchronized sleep. Closed-loop operations of automatic control mechanisms during synchronized sleep ensure an efficient and steady regulation of such functions as in wakefulness, although at a lower level of energy expenditure. In contrast, a change in the mode of regulation of automatic control mechanisms, consisting in a prevalence of open-loop operations, underlies the functional inconsistency of effector activities during desynchronized sleep.