Abstract
The need to sleep is governed by two biological processes in the brain. One called sleep drive is homeostatic; the more we are awake, the more we have a need to sleep. When we sleep, sleep drive is reduced. We experience sleep drive as sleepiness. If we do not get enough sleep, either a night of no sleep or a sequence of nights of inadequate sleep, we experience a variety of changes in many of our mental and behavioral processes as well as many physiological consequences. Experimentally depriving research subjects of specific stages of sleep has helped to determine the consequences of missing out on those types of sleep. The other process that governs our sleep is a rhythmic one. Our circadian clock, located in our brain, endeavors to keep us awake and alert during the day but allows sleep during the night. Sleep drive and the circadian clock interact in what is known as the two-process model that can predict and thereby help us to understand many of the phenomena of sleep/wake.
Specific references to statements in this chapter that can be found in multiple, widely available sources are not included in the text. A selection of these sources is listed below and can also be consulted for verification or more detail.
(Kryger et al. 2011;
Lee-Chiong 2009;
National Sleep Foundation web-site http://www.sleepfoundation.org/
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Notes
- 1.
Homeostasis is the process of trying to compensate for deviations from a standard or norm. The thermostat in your home engages in homeostasis when it turns on the furnace or air conditioner if the room becomes cooler or warmer than the desired temperature set on it.
- 2.
Thinking and decision making which lead to movements.
- 3.
You probably have experienced a brief loss of electrical power that temporarily shuts everything off, including your computer. This occurrence is similar to microsleeps that are intrusions of a few seconds of sleep causing the absence of alertness in the midst of waking. During a microsleep, a person appears to be staring off into space or the head may droop a bit.
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Moorcroft, W.H. (2013). The Need to Sleep . In: Understanding Sleep and Dreaming. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6467-9_3
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