Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Sleep-Wake Cycles

Sleep-Wake Cycles

Sleep is an essential physiological process vital to maintaining overall well-being. The reticular activating system (RAS), a network of neurons in the brainstem, regulates wakefulness and sleep. While it may seem passive, sleep consists of distinct cycles, each with its unique characteristics and functions. Two key sleep phases are non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM).
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:

Understanding Sleep

Understanding Sleep

Sleep, an essential biological state, involves significant reductions in physical activity, sensory awareness, and interaction with the environment. This complex physiological process is primarily regulated by specific brain regions, notably the hypothalamus and pons, which govern the sleep-wake cycle or circadian rhythm.
The circadian rhythm, a nearly 24-hour cycle, is deeply influenced by environmental light cues. Light exposure directly affects the hypothalamus, which in turn regulates...

Stages of Sleep

Stages of Sleep

Sleep progresses through distinct stages, each characterized by specific brain wave patterns and physiological responses ranging from wakefulness to stages of non-rapid eye movement, known as non-REM, to rapid eye movement, referred to as REM. Understanding these stages helps in recognizing how sleep supports various bodily and cognitive functions.
Before sleep begins, in wakefulness, the brain exhibits primarily beta waves, which are high in frequency and low in amplitude, indicating alertness...

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by pervasive, uncontrolled sleepiness and other sleep disturbances. One of its hallmark symptoms is an abrupt transition to REM sleep upon falling asleep, which causes symptoms typically associated with this phase to occur unexpectedly during wakefulness. These include the following symptoms, which typically last from a minute or two to half an hour.

Management of Insomnia

Management of Insomnia

The sleep cycle, an integral part of human health, consists of several stages with distinct characteristics and functions. It begins with a transition from wakefulness to sleep, known as the light sleep phase, followed by the restorative deep sleep phase, essential for physical recovery and growth. The cycle concludes with the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase, characterized by high brain activity and vivid dreaming. Insomnia, a prevalent sleep disorder, involves difficulty falling asleep, staying...

Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep

Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep

Substance use disorders involve a pattern of using drugs more extensively than intended and continuing use despite harmful consequences. This includes legal substances like alcohol and nicotine, as well as illegal drugs. These disorders often involve both physical and psychological dependence, reflecting compulsive use of substances that significantly alter thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, contributing to a major public health issue.
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Exploring farmers' perceptions of the value and management of dairy-bred calves in block calving dairy systems.

Journal of dairy science·2026

Same author

Neural field modeling and analysis of consciousness states in the brain.

Neuroscience of consciousness·2025

Same author

Generation of surrogate brain maps preserving spatial autocorrelation through random rotation of geometric eigenmodes.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2025

Same author

Empirical estimation of the eigenmodes of macroscale cortical dynamics: Reconciling neural field eigenmodes and resting-state networks.

Neuroimage. Reports·2025

Same author

Electrical circuit model of spatiotemporal trade dynamics: Foundations and derivation of the gravity model.

PloS one·2025

Same author

Unification of alpha, mu, and tau rhythms and their beta-band harmonics via eigenmodes: spectral peaks, topography, and reactivity.

Journal of theoretical biology·2025

Same journal

Tension on dsDNA bound to ssDNA-RecA filaments may play an important role in driving efficient and accurate homology recognition and strand exchange.

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016

Same journal

Publisher's Note: Amplitude-phase coupling drives chimera states in globally coupled laser networks [Phys. Rev. E 91, 040901(R) (2015)].

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016

Same journal

Erratum: Shapes of sedimenting soft elastic capsules in a viscous fluid [Phys. Rev. E 92, 033003 (2015)].

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016

Same journal

Erratum: Attenuation of excitation decay rate due to collective effect [Phys. Rev. E 90, 022142 (2014)].

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016

Same journal

Publisher's Note: Role of connectivity and fluctuations in the nucleation of calcium waves in cardiac cells [Phys. Rev. E 92, 052715 (2015)].

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016

Same journal

Publisher's Note: Lattice Boltzmann approach for complex nonequilibrium flows [Phys. Rev. E 92, 043308 (2015)].

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice

Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice

Published on: January 25, 2016

Potential formulation of sleep dynamics.

A J K Phillips¹, P A Robinson

¹School of Physics, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia. ajp@physics.usyd.edu.au

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics

|April 28, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a simplified mechanical model of the human sleep-wake cycle. This new model accurately predicts normal sleep patterns and recovery from sleep deprivation, offering easier data fitting and new insights.

More Related Videos

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice

Published on: August 2, 2017

Optogenetic Manipulation of Neural Circuits During Monitoring Sleep/wakefulness States in Mice

Optogenetic Manipulation of Neural Circuits During Monitoring Sleep/wakefulness States in Mice

Published on: June 19, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice

Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice

Published on: January 25, 2016

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice

Published on: August 2, 2017

Optogenetic Manipulation of Neural Circuits During Monitoring Sleep/wakefulness States in Mice

Optogenetic Manipulation of Neural Circuits During Monitoring Sleep/wakefulness States in Mice

Published on: June 19, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Biophysics
Computational Biology

Background:

The human sleep-wake cycle is a complex biological process.
Existing models often involve numerous parameters, complicating data fitting and analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

To formulate a simplified, dynamics-based model of the human sleep-wake cycle.
To reduce model complexity and parameter count for improved experimental data fitting.
To gain insights into sleep-wake dynamics through mechanical analogies.

Main Methods:

Formulation of a physiologically based model using an equivalent nonconservative mechanical potential.
Analytical simplification of the potential to a quartic two-well potential.
Fitting the simplified model to experimentally derived criteria for parameter constraints.

Main Results:

The simplified model semiquantitatively matches the dynamics of the original physiologically based model.
The model successfully reproduces normal sleep-wake dynamics and recovery from sleep deprivation within derived parameter constraints.
Analogies to mechanical systems provide insights into neurotransmitter action and potential mechanisms for napping behavior.

Conclusions:

A simplified, dynamics-based model of the sleep-wake cycle has been successfully derived and validated.
The model offers analytical advantages and facilitates a deeper understanding of sleep-wake regulation.
This framework serves as a foundation for future dynamical investigations of sleep phenomena.