Processes influencing wakefulness: excerpted from sleep: excessive sleepiness.(Illustrated Insights Serials--NEW!)(Excerpt)

From: Psychopharmacology Educational Updates (PsychEd Up) | Date: March 1, 2006| Author: Stahl, Stephen M. | Copyright information

While many factors can influence arousal, such as hunger and activity, there are two overriding processes to consider. The homeostatic drive for sleep rises during waking periods and is relieved during sleep. In other words, a person builds up a sleep debt when awake and pays it off during sleep. It is this homeostatic drive that leads to feelings of excessive sleepiness during a state of sleep deprivation. If sleep is disrupted, such as in patients with sleep apnea, the homeostati...

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