Homeostatic changes in slow wave sleep during recovery sleep following restricted nocturnal sleep and partial slow wave sleep recovery during an afternoon nap.
There has been speculation and some evidence to suggest that certain fractions of sleep, notably, slow wave sleep (SWS), are under homeostatic control. In order to test this hypothesis, the sleep of eight subjects was terminated on four different occasions after 50% of their normal baseline SWS levels had been obtained. An afternoon nap then followed during which 100%, 50%, or 25% of the SWS debt was reclaimed. A fourth condition contained no afternoon nap. The change in SWS from baseline during subsequent recovery sleep was directly related to the outstanding SWS debt, thus demonstrating that SWS is under homeostatic control.
Department of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.
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Tilley
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Donohoe
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Hensby
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000502:physiology*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology