Draft:Outline of sleep

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to sleep:

Sleep – naturally recurring state of muscle relaxation and reduced perception of one's surroundings, with a decreased ability to react to stimuli, similar to being in a coma, but more easily reversed by being woken up. Adequate sleep is essential for maintaining health. During sleep, most of the body's systems enter an anabolic state, helping to restore the immune, nervous, skeletal, and muscular systems. Sleep occurs in repeating periods, during which the body alternates between non-REM and REM ("rapid eye movement") sleep. Dreams occur during sleep—fantasies in narrative form resembling waking life while in progress, but usually distinguishable from reality upon waking. People may suffer from various sleep disorders, classified as dyssomnias, parasomnias, and circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

What types of thing is sleep?

Sleep can be described as all of the following:

• a physiological process
• a biological state
• a neurological cycle
• a recovery mechanism
• a consciousness alteration

Types of sleep

• Non-rapid eye movement sleep - Sleep stage characterized by slower brain waves
• Rapid eye movement sleep - Sleep stage associated with dreaming and rapid eye movements
• Slow-wave sleep - Deep stage of non-REM sleep with large, slow brain waves
• Unihemispheric slow-wave sleep - Sleep state where one brain hemisphere remains alert

Sleep phases

• Sleep cycle - Repeating pattern of sleep stages throughout the night
• Cyclic alternating pattern - Periodic EEG activity during non-REM sleep

Areas of the brain involved with sleep

• Pineal gland - Endocrine gland that produces melatonin

Sleep in animals

• Aestivation - State of dormancy in animals during hot periods
• Hibernation - State of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals

Persons by sleep pattern

• Lark
• Night owl

Sleep-related phenomena

See also: #Sleep disorders

• Chronotype - Individual differences in sleep-wake timing preferences
• Cortisol awakening response - Natural rise in cortisol levels upon waking
• Delta-sleep-inducing peptide - Neuropeptide involved in sleep regulation
• K-complex - Large wave seen on EEG during stage 2 sleep
• Lucid dream - Dream in which the dreamer is aware they are dreaming
• Night hag - Sleep paralysis phenomenon involving a sensed presence
• Nocturnal emissions -
• Nocturnal erections -
• REM rebound - Increase in REM sleep after sleep deprivation
• Second wind (sleep) - Temporary alertness after sleep deprivation
• Sleep inertia - Grogginess experienced upon waking
• Sleep orgasm -
• Sleep paralysis - Temporary inability to move or speak when falling asleep or waking
• Sleep spindle - Burst of brain activity visible on EEG during stage 2 sleep

Sleep equipment

• Alarm clock - Device used to wake sleepers at a specified time
• Bed - Piece of furniture used for sleeping or resting
  • Polish bed - Bed that features a small canopy supported by curved corner poles
• Bedroom - Room designated for sleeping
• Blindfold - Cover worn over the eyes to block light during sleep
• Sleep diary - Journal used to track sleep times and habits
• Sleep pod - Enclosed space designed for napping or short-term sleep
• White noise machine - Device that produces ambient sounds to mask disruptive noises and promote sleep

Sleep and health

• Adolescent sleep - Sleep patterns and needs specific to teenagers
• Familial natural short sleep - Genetic condition requiring less sleep
• Familial sleep traits - Inherited sleep characteristics
• Physiological effects of sleep deprivation - Body's responses to lack of sleep
• Sleep and breathing - Relationship between respiration and sleep
• Sleep and emotions - Impact of sleep on emotional regulation
• Sleep and learning - Connection between sleep and cognitive processes
• Sleep debt - Cumulative effect of not getting enough sleep
• Sleep state misperception - Misconception about one's sleep quality or quantity

Sleep medicine

• Constant routine protocol - Method to assess circadian rhythms
• Phase response curve - Relationship between light exposure timing and circadian shifts

Biology of sleep

• Neurology of dreams - Brain processes involved in dreaming
• Retinohypothalamic tract - Neural pathway connecting eyes to circadian clock
• Suprachiasmatic nucleus - Brain region controlling circadian rhythms
• Ultradian rhythm - Biological rhythms shorter than 24 hours
• Zeitgeber - External cue that synchronizes circadian rhythms

Sleep disorders

• Advanced sleep phase disorder
• Circadian rhythm sleep disorder
• Delayed sleep phase disorder
• Exploding head syndrome
• Hypnagogia
• Hypnopompia
• Parasomnia
  • Confusional arousals
  • Sleep sex
  • Sleep walking
  • Night terrors
  • Nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder
• Sleep apnea
• Upper airway resistance syndrome

History of sleep

History of sleep

• History of beds

Sleep organizations

• National Sleep Foundation

Sleep publications

• Dreaming (journal) - Academic journal focused on dream research

Persons influential in sleep

• Richard Ferber

Sleep-related practices and beliefs

• Oneiromancy - Divination through dream interpretation