Science Of Sleep
Published on 16. December 2025
Book
Hardback
600 pages
978-1-60535-297-8 (ISBN)
Description
The Science of Sleep reviews our scientific understanding of sleep, summarizing current knowledge related to its regulation, its functions, and the consequences of inadequate sleep, primarily in people.The first part outlines the historical development of research on sleep and circadian rhythms, and introduces the principal methods used in human sleep and circadian rhythms research. The second part reviews the variables that affect
human sleep, including development and aging, homeostatic and circadian regulators, and cultural and environmental factors. It also reviews similarities and differences in sleep in other species. The third part
reviews the physiological mechanisms regulating sleep and circadian rhythms, including the roles of the circadian pacemaker, melatonin, key neurotransmitters, and other neurochemicals. It also addresses how brain mechanisms alter consciousness during sleep while permitting awareness of some environmental events. The fourth part discusses the impact of sleep duration and quality on cognitive functions, and on many aspects of human health and disease. It discusses the relations between sleep and
metabolic and vascular diseases, immune system function, pain sensitivity, mood and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease. A final part introduces models of the functions of sleep,
reviews the evidence that sleep is involved in neural plasticity and memory consolidation, and describes the physiological mechanisms by which sleep affects memory. Three appendices discuss dreaming and its regulation, the impact of obstructive sleep apnea, and narcolepsy and the immune system. A fourth appendix describes the major neuroscience tools commonly used to study sleep regulation, including their strengths and weaknesses.Providing a thorough, evidence-based
introduction to our current understanding of sleep, this volume will be an essential source for undergraduate and graduate students as well as medical and allied health professionals in the fields of sleep
research and health.
human sleep, including development and aging, homeostatic and circadian regulators, and cultural and environmental factors. It also reviews similarities and differences in sleep in other species. The third part
reviews the physiological mechanisms regulating sleep and circadian rhythms, including the roles of the circadian pacemaker, melatonin, key neurotransmitters, and other neurochemicals. It also addresses how brain mechanisms alter consciousness during sleep while permitting awareness of some environmental events. The fourth part discusses the impact of sleep duration and quality on cognitive functions, and on many aspects of human health and disease. It discusses the relations between sleep and
metabolic and vascular diseases, immune system function, pain sensitivity, mood and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease. A final part introduces models of the functions of sleep,
reviews the evidence that sleep is involved in neural plasticity and memory consolidation, and describes the physiological mechanisms by which sleep affects memory. Three appendices discuss dreaming and its regulation, the impact of obstructive sleep apnea, and narcolepsy and the immune system. A fourth appendix describes the major neuroscience tools commonly used to study sleep regulation, including their strengths and weaknesses.Providing a thorough, evidence-based
introduction to our current understanding of sleep, this volume will be an essential source for undergraduate and graduate students as well as medical and allied health professionals in the fields of sleep
research and health.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
226
Dimensions
Height: 283 mm
Width: 224 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
1937 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-60535-297-8 (9781605352978)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Professor Rusak graduated from the University of Toronto and the University of California, Berkeley. He retired as a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus in 2022 from his positions in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology & Neuroscience at Dalhousie University. His scientific contributions to circadian rhythms and sleep research were recognized by his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and senior research achievement awards
from the Canadian Sleep Society, the Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine, the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the Canadian Society for Chronobiology. He was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal
of Biological Rhythms (1985-1994).
from the Canadian Sleep Society, the Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine, the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the Canadian Society for Chronobiology. He was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal
of Biological Rhythms (1985-1994).
Content
A. HISTORY & METHODS
1. Introduction to sleep research
1.1 Overview
1.2 Why sleep?
1.3 Early research on sleep
1.4 Dreams and REM sleep
2. Methods for sleep research
2.1 Overview
2.2 Measuring sleep
2.3 Stages of sleep
2.4 Sources of EEG patterns
2.5 The rhythms of sleep
2.6 Issues related to laboratory sleep studies
2.7 Other methods for studying sleep
3. History and methods of circadian rhythms research
3.1 Overview
3.2 A short history of circadian rhythms research
3.3 Studying circadian rhythms
3.4 Masking effects
3.5 Studying human circadian rhythms
3.6 Impacts of laboratory environments
B. FACTORS AFFECTING SLEEP
4. Sleep across the human lifespan
4.1 Overview
4.2 Sleep in infants
4.3 Sleep in childhood
4.4 Sleep in adolescence
4.5 Sleep in adult women
4.6 Sleep in adulthood and aging
4.9 Challenges in studying aging effects on sleep
5. Homeostatic and circadian regulation of sleep
5.1 Overview
5.2 Homeostasis
5.3 Homeostatic regulation of sleep and slow-wave activity
5.4 Alternatives to homeostatic regulation
5.5 Homeostatic regulation of REM sleep
5.6 Models of REM sleep regulation
5.7 The two-process model of sleep regulation
6. Cultural and environmental effects on sleep
6.1 Overview
6.2 Cultural, social and geographic influences on sleep
6.3 Cultural anthropology of sleep
6.4 Control of lighting
6.5 Observational and experimental studies of sleep in pre-industrial societies
6.6 Sleep patterns over recent decades
6.7 The co-sleeping controversy
7. Sleep in other species
7.1 Overview
7.2 Measuring sleep across species
7.3 Sleep in invertebrates
7.4 Differences in sleep patterns among mammals
7.5 Unihemispheric sleep
7.6 Seasonal changes in sleep
C. PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS
8. Suprachiasmatic nuclei, circadian rhythms, sleep and aging
8.1 Overview
8.2 Physiological mechanisms generating daily rhythms
8.3 Role of the SCN in sleep regulation
8.4 Role of the circadian system in aging effects on sleep
8.5 Are older people less affected by sleep loss?
9. Pineal gland and melatonin
9.1 Overview
9.2 The pineal gland and the circadian system
9.3 Seasonal physiological regulation: a model for melatonin's function
9.4 Melatonin as a chronobiotic
9.5 Melatonin and sleep
9.6 Clinical uses of melatonin
9.7 Melatonin and circadian amplitude
9.8 Cautions in the use of melatonin
10. Brainstem regulation of sleep and waking
10.1 Overview
10.2 States of arousal
10.3 Norepinephrine
10.4 Dopamine
10.5 Serotonin
10.6 Brainstem glutamate and GABA systems
10.7 Pontine acetylcholine
10.8 Acting out one's dreams
11. Forebrain regulation of sleep and waking
11.1 Overview
11.2 Tuberomammillary nucleus and histamine
11.3 Lateral hypothalamus
11.4 Preoptic area
11.5 Basal forebrain nuclei and acetylcholine
11.6 Adenosine, astrocytes, and sleep homeostasis
11.7 Other physiological regulators of sleep
11.8 Overview of forebrain systems involved in sleep regulation
12. Thalamocortical mechanisms
12.1 Overview
12.2 Generating cortical rhythms
12.3 Information processing during sleep
12.4 Sleep protection and information processing in NREM sleep
12.5 Modulation of awareness during sleep
12.6 Sleep as a local cortical phenomenon
D. IMPACTS OF SLEEP DURATION & QUALITY
13. Behavioral effects of inadequate sleep and shift work
13.1 Overview
13.2 How much sleep do you need?
13.3 Sleep loss and sustained attention
13.4 Individual differences in response to sleep loss
13.5 Sleep loss, circadian phase and performance
13.6 Banking effects of sleep duration
13.7 Sleep loss and executive task performance
13.8 Effects of sleep loss on emotional regulation and perception
13.9 Adverse work hours and shift work
13.10 Physiological effects of jet lag and shift work
14. Sleep and human health, Part A
14.1 Overview
14.2 Studying sleep deprivation
14.3 Effects of 'total' sleep deprivation
14.4 Studying effects of sleep duration
14.5 Sleep-disordered breathing
14.6 Sleep, metabolic syndrome, and glucose regulation
14.7 Sleep and body weight regulation
14.8 Sleep and vascular disease
14.9 Sleep and the immune system
15. Sleep and human health, Part B
15.1 Overview
15.2 Sleep and pain
15.3 Sleep, anxiety, and mood disorders
15.4 Sleep and schizophrenia
15.5 Sleep and Alzheimer's disease
15.6 Sleep and mortality risk
15.7 Why long and short sleep are related to illness and mortality risk
E. FUNCTIONS OF SLEEP
16. Models of the functions of sleep
16.1 Overview
16.2 Ecological/circadian models
16.3 Physiological models
17. The role of sleep in memory
17.1 Overview
17.2 Introduction to sleep and memory
17.3 Studying how sleep affects memory
17.4 Explicit (declarative) learning
17.5 REM sleep, emotional content, and memory
17.6 Sensory/perceptual learning
17.7 Motor/procedural learning
17.8 Separate or overlapping roles for NREM and REM sleep?
17.9 Modulators of sleep effects on memory
17.10 Sleep effects on memory over the lifespan
17.11 Insight and problem-solving during sleep
18. Physiology of sleep effects on memory
18.1 Overview
18.2 Sleep and neural plasticity: long-term potentiation
18.3 Sleep and neural plasticity: visual cortex
18.4 Neural replay and plasticity
18.5 An aside on hippocampal neurogenesis, sleep, and depression
18.6 System-level consolidation in NREM sleep
18.7 Neural basis for motor skill learning
18.8 Spindles across the lifespan
18.9 Sleep spindles and intelligence
18.10 REM sleep and memory consolidation
18.11 Sensory enhancement of memory during sleep
18.12 Manipulating sleep EEG features to enhance memory
18.13 Neurochemical effects on sleep-related consolidation
18.14 Learning during sleep
18.15 Sleep effects on synaptic strength
19. Neural plasticity and the functions of sleep
19.1 Overview
19.2 The involvement of sleep in neural plasticity and memory
19.3 Species differences
19.4 Epilogue on the functions of sleep
APPENDICES
Appendix A Dreaming and its mechanisms in REM and NREM sleep
A.1 Dreaming in REM and NREM sleep
A.2 Neurophysiological basis of dreaming
Appendix B Obstructive sleep apnea
Appendix C Methods for studying neural mechanisms related to sleep
C.1 Correlating neurotransmitter levels with sleep stages
C.2 Measuring neuronal activity during sleep stages
C.3 Manipulating neural functions chemically or electrically
C.4 Ablation (lesion) methods
C.5 Genetic methods to increase or decrease gene expression
C.6 Optogenetic methods
C.7 Pharmacogenetic methods
C.8 Studying clinical populations with neurotransmitter defects
Appendix D Narcolepsy, influenza, and the immune system
1. Introduction to sleep research
1.1 Overview
1.2 Why sleep?
1.3 Early research on sleep
1.4 Dreams and REM sleep
2. Methods for sleep research
2.1 Overview
2.2 Measuring sleep
2.3 Stages of sleep
2.4 Sources of EEG patterns
2.5 The rhythms of sleep
2.6 Issues related to laboratory sleep studies
2.7 Other methods for studying sleep
3. History and methods of circadian rhythms research
3.1 Overview
3.2 A short history of circadian rhythms research
3.3 Studying circadian rhythms
3.4 Masking effects
3.5 Studying human circadian rhythms
3.6 Impacts of laboratory environments
B. FACTORS AFFECTING SLEEP
4. Sleep across the human lifespan
4.1 Overview
4.2 Sleep in infants
4.3 Sleep in childhood
4.4 Sleep in adolescence
4.5 Sleep in adult women
4.6 Sleep in adulthood and aging
4.9 Challenges in studying aging effects on sleep
5. Homeostatic and circadian regulation of sleep
5.1 Overview
5.2 Homeostasis
5.3 Homeostatic regulation of sleep and slow-wave activity
5.4 Alternatives to homeostatic regulation
5.5 Homeostatic regulation of REM sleep
5.6 Models of REM sleep regulation
5.7 The two-process model of sleep regulation
6. Cultural and environmental effects on sleep
6.1 Overview
6.2 Cultural, social and geographic influences on sleep
6.3 Cultural anthropology of sleep
6.4 Control of lighting
6.5 Observational and experimental studies of sleep in pre-industrial societies
6.6 Sleep patterns over recent decades
6.7 The co-sleeping controversy
7. Sleep in other species
7.1 Overview
7.2 Measuring sleep across species
7.3 Sleep in invertebrates
7.4 Differences in sleep patterns among mammals
7.5 Unihemispheric sleep
7.6 Seasonal changes in sleep
C. PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS
8. Suprachiasmatic nuclei, circadian rhythms, sleep and aging
8.1 Overview
8.2 Physiological mechanisms generating daily rhythms
8.3 Role of the SCN in sleep regulation
8.4 Role of the circadian system in aging effects on sleep
8.5 Are older people less affected by sleep loss?
9. Pineal gland and melatonin
9.1 Overview
9.2 The pineal gland and the circadian system
9.3 Seasonal physiological regulation: a model for melatonin's function
9.4 Melatonin as a chronobiotic
9.5 Melatonin and sleep
9.6 Clinical uses of melatonin
9.7 Melatonin and circadian amplitude
9.8 Cautions in the use of melatonin
10. Brainstem regulation of sleep and waking
10.1 Overview
10.2 States of arousal
10.3 Norepinephrine
10.4 Dopamine
10.5 Serotonin
10.6 Brainstem glutamate and GABA systems
10.7 Pontine acetylcholine
10.8 Acting out one's dreams
11. Forebrain regulation of sleep and waking
11.1 Overview
11.2 Tuberomammillary nucleus and histamine
11.3 Lateral hypothalamus
11.4 Preoptic area
11.5 Basal forebrain nuclei and acetylcholine
11.6 Adenosine, astrocytes, and sleep homeostasis
11.7 Other physiological regulators of sleep
11.8 Overview of forebrain systems involved in sleep regulation
12. Thalamocortical mechanisms
12.1 Overview
12.2 Generating cortical rhythms
12.3 Information processing during sleep
12.4 Sleep protection and information processing in NREM sleep
12.5 Modulation of awareness during sleep
12.6 Sleep as a local cortical phenomenon
D. IMPACTS OF SLEEP DURATION & QUALITY
13. Behavioral effects of inadequate sleep and shift work
13.1 Overview
13.2 How much sleep do you need?
13.3 Sleep loss and sustained attention
13.4 Individual differences in response to sleep loss
13.5 Sleep loss, circadian phase and performance
13.6 Banking effects of sleep duration
13.7 Sleep loss and executive task performance
13.8 Effects of sleep loss on emotional regulation and perception
13.9 Adverse work hours and shift work
13.10 Physiological effects of jet lag and shift work
14. Sleep and human health, Part A
14.1 Overview
14.2 Studying sleep deprivation
14.3 Effects of 'total' sleep deprivation
14.4 Studying effects of sleep duration
14.5 Sleep-disordered breathing
14.6 Sleep, metabolic syndrome, and glucose regulation
14.7 Sleep and body weight regulation
14.8 Sleep and vascular disease
14.9 Sleep and the immune system
15. Sleep and human health, Part B
15.1 Overview
15.2 Sleep and pain
15.3 Sleep, anxiety, and mood disorders
15.4 Sleep and schizophrenia
15.5 Sleep and Alzheimer's disease
15.6 Sleep and mortality risk
15.7 Why long and short sleep are related to illness and mortality risk
E. FUNCTIONS OF SLEEP
16. Models of the functions of sleep
16.1 Overview
16.2 Ecological/circadian models
16.3 Physiological models
17. The role of sleep in memory
17.1 Overview
17.2 Introduction to sleep and memory
17.3 Studying how sleep affects memory
17.4 Explicit (declarative) learning
17.5 REM sleep, emotional content, and memory
17.6 Sensory/perceptual learning
17.7 Motor/procedural learning
17.8 Separate or overlapping roles for NREM and REM sleep?
17.9 Modulators of sleep effects on memory
17.10 Sleep effects on memory over the lifespan
17.11 Insight and problem-solving during sleep
18. Physiology of sleep effects on memory
18.1 Overview
18.2 Sleep and neural plasticity: long-term potentiation
18.3 Sleep and neural plasticity: visual cortex
18.4 Neural replay and plasticity
18.5 An aside on hippocampal neurogenesis, sleep, and depression
18.6 System-level consolidation in NREM sleep
18.7 Neural basis for motor skill learning
18.8 Spindles across the lifespan
18.9 Sleep spindles and intelligence
18.10 REM sleep and memory consolidation
18.11 Sensory enhancement of memory during sleep
18.12 Manipulating sleep EEG features to enhance memory
18.13 Neurochemical effects on sleep-related consolidation
18.14 Learning during sleep
18.15 Sleep effects on synaptic strength
19. Neural plasticity and the functions of sleep
19.1 Overview
19.2 The involvement of sleep in neural plasticity and memory
19.3 Species differences
19.4 Epilogue on the functions of sleep
APPENDICES
Appendix A Dreaming and its mechanisms in REM and NREM sleep
A.1 Dreaming in REM and NREM sleep
A.2 Neurophysiological basis of dreaming
Appendix B Obstructive sleep apnea
Appendix C Methods for studying neural mechanisms related to sleep
C.1 Correlating neurotransmitter levels with sleep stages
C.2 Measuring neuronal activity during sleep stages
C.3 Manipulating neural functions chemically or electrically
C.4 Ablation (lesion) methods
C.5 Genetic methods to increase or decrease gene expression
C.6 Optogenetic methods
C.7 Pharmacogenetic methods
C.8 Studying clinical populations with neurotransmitter defects
Appendix D Narcolepsy, influenza, and the immune system