This article is about sleep in humans. For non-human sleep, see Sleep (non-human).

For other uses, see Sleep (disambiguation).

"Sleep architecture", "Waking up", "Asleep", and "Slept" redirect here. For other
uses, see Waking Up (disambiguation), Asleep (disambiguation), and SLEPT analysis.

Sleep is associated with a state of muscle relaxation and reduced perception of

environmental stimuli.
Sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind and body, characterized by altered
consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, inhibition of nearly all
voluntary muscles, and reduced interactions with surroundings.[1] It is
distinguished from wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, but more
reactive than coma or disorders of consciousness, sleep displaying very different
and active brain patterns.

Sleep occurs in repeating periods, in which the body alternates between two
distinct modes: REM sleep and non-REM sleep. Although REM stands for "rapid eye
movement", this mode of sleep has many other aspects, including virtual paralysis
of the body. A well-known feature of sleep is the dream, an experience typically
recounted in narrative form, which resembles waking life while in progress, but
which usually can later be distinguished as fantasy.

During sleep, most of the body's systems are in an anabolic state, helping to
restore the immune, nervous, skeletal, and muscular systems; these are vital
processes that maintain mood, memory, and cognitive function, and play a large role
in the function of the endocrine and immune systems.[2] The internal circadian
clock promotes sleep daily at night. The diverse purposes and mechanisms of sleep
are the subject of substantial ongoing research.[3]

Sleep is a highly conserved behavior across animal evolution.[4]

Humans may suffer from various sleep disorders, including dyssomnias such as
insomnia, hypersomnia, narcolepsy, and sleep apnea; parasomnias such as
sleepwalking and REM behavior disorder; bruxism; and circadian rhythm sleep
disorders. The advent of artificial light has substantially altered sleep timing in
industrialized countries.[5]

Contents
1 Physiology
1.1 Non-REM and REM sleep
1.2 Awakening
2 Timing
2.1 Circadian clock
2.2 Process S
2.3 Social timing
2.4 Distribution
2.4.1 Naps
2.5 Genetics
2.6 Quality
3 Ideal duration
3.1 Children
3.2 Recommendations
4 Functions
4.1 Restoration
4.2 Memory processing
4.3 Dreaming
5 Disorders
5.1 Insomnia
5.2 Obstructive sleep apnea
5.3 Other disorders
6 Drugs and diet
7 In culture
7.1 Anthropology
7.2 In mythology and literature
7.3 In art
8 See also
8.1 Positions, practices, and rituals
9 References
9.1 Sources
10 External links
Physiology

An artist's creative illustration depicting REM sleep.

Main article: Neuroscience of sleep
The most pronounced physiological changes in sleep occur in the brain.[6] The brain
uses significantly less energy during sleep than it does when awake, especially
during non-REM sleep. In areas with reduced activity, the brain restores its supply
of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the molecule used for short-term storage and
transport of energy.[7] In quiet waking, the brain is responsible for 20% of the
body's energy use, thus this reduction has a noticeable effect on overall energy
consumption.[8]

Sleep increases the sensory threshold. In other words, sleeping persons perceive
fewer stimuli, but can generally still respond to loud noises and other salient
sensory events.[8][6]

During slow-wave sleep, humans secrete bursts of growth hormone. All sleep, even
during the day, is associated with secretion of prolactin.[9]

Key physiological methods for monitoring and measuring changes during sleep include
electroencephalography (EEG) of brain waves, electrooculography (EOG) of eye
movements, and electromyography (EMG) of skeletal muscle activity. Simultaneous
collection of these measurements is called polysomnography, and can be performed in
a specialized sleep laboratory.[10][11] Sleep researchers also use simplified
electrocardiography (EKG) for cardiac activity and actigraphy for motor movements.
[11]

Non-REM and REM sleep

Sleep is divided into two broad types: non-rapid eye movement (non-REM or NREM)
sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Non-REM and REM sleep are so different
that physiologists identify them as distinct behavioral states. Non-REM sleep
occurs first and after a transitional period is called slow-wave sleep or deep
sleep. During this phase, body temperature and heart rate fall, and the brain uses
less energy.[6] REM sleep, also known as paradoxical sleep, represents a smaller
portion of total sleep time. It is the main occasion for dreams (or nightmares),
and is associated with desynchronized and fast brain waves, eye movements, loss of
muscle tone,[1] and suspension of homeostasis.[12]

The sleep cycle of alternate NREM and REM sleep takes an average of 90 minutes,
occurring 4�6 times in a good night's sleep.[11][13] The American Academy of Sleep
Medicine (AASM) divides NREM into three stages: N1, N2, and N3, the last of which
is also called delta sleep or slow-wave sleep.[14] The whole period normally
proceeds in the order: N1 � N2 � N3 � N2 � REM. REM sleep occurs as a person
returns to stage 2 or 1 from a deep sleep.[1] There is a greater amount of deep
sleep (stage N3) earlier in the night, while the proportion of REM sleep increases
in the two cycles just before natural awake