Which areas of the brain control sleep

Which areas of the brain control sleep? 

Essentially every area of the brain is involved in sleep.

Wakefulness is maintained by neurons in the brain stem reticular formation via the thalamocortical neurons, dorsal hypothalamus, basal forebrain, and locus ceruleus.

NREM sleep is maintained by the neural systems of the forebrain (ventrolateral preoptic nucleus also known as VLPO and basal forebrain ), solitary tract nuclei, midbrain raphe, amygdala, and thalamus.

REM sleep is regulated in the pons (lateral tegmental nuclei, pedunculopontine nucleus), pontine reticular formation, and medullary and spinal neurons.

The suprachiasmatic area of the hypothalamus is directly involved in the regulation of circadian cycles that determine when sleep occurs within a 24-hour day.

A group of nuclei in the pontomesencephalic region (including locus ceruleus, dorsal raphe, and several cholinergic areas) are critical for the alternating sequence of REM sleep and non-REM sleep cycles.

The hypothalamus, a peanut-sized structure deep inside the brain, contains groups of nerve cells that act as control centers affecting sleep and arousal.  Within the hypothalamus is the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) – clusters of thousands of cells that receive information about light exposure directly from the eyes and control your behavioral rhythm. 

Some people with damage to the SCN sleep erratically throughout the day because they are not able to match their circadian rhythms with the light-dark cycle.  

Most blind people maintain some ability to sense light and are able to modify their sleep/wake cycle.

15585

Sign up to receive the trending updates and tons of Health Tips

Join SeekhealthZ and never miss the latest health information

15856