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Heart Failure Management: The Neural Pathways pp 101–113Cite as

Whispering During Sleep: Autonomic Signaling During Sleep, Sleep Apnea, and Sudden Death

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Abstract

Sleep is an orchestrated neurochemical process involving different biological systems. Many theories have attempted to explain the biological meaning of sleep including a primary restorative function, a central role in reinforcement, and consolidation of memory, an important place for thermoregulatory processes. Despite the lack of a general consensus on its purposes, the brain mechanisms controlling sleep and wakefulness as well as the associated changes in cardiovascular and respiratory function are largely known. The autonomic nervous system is of paramount importance in the regulation of the cardiovascular function during sleep, and it can also mediate cardiovascular events occurring during sleep as a result of cardiovascular diseases or primary sleep disorders such as sleep-disordered breathing.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiology, Istituto Scientifico di Montescano, Montescano, Pavia, Italy

    Maria Teresa La Rovere MD

  2. Biomedical Engineering, Fondazione “Salvatore Maugeri”, IRCCS, Istituto Scientifico di Montescano, Montescano, Pavia, Italy

    Gian Domenico Pinna MS

Authors
  1. Maria Teresa La Rovere MD
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  2. Gian Domenico Pinna MS
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Correspondence to Maria Teresa La Rovere MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Director of Cardiology Division, IRCCS MultiMedica, Sesto San Giovanni, Milan, Italy

    Edoardo Gronda

  2. Heart Failure Clinic, IRCCS MultiMedica, Sesto San Giovanni, Milan, Italy

    Emilio Vanoli

  3. University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Alexandru Costea

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La Rovere, M.T., Pinna, G.D. (2016). Whispering During Sleep: Autonomic Signaling During Sleep, Sleep Apnea, and Sudden Death. In: Gronda, E., Vanoli, E., Costea, A. (eds) Heart Failure Management: The Neural Pathways. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24993-3_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24993-3_8

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-24993-3

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