Mechanisms of recovery functions of sleep
Thomas Penzel, Interdisciplinary Sleep Medicine Center, Charite University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
Abstract
A third of our life is spent with sleep. Sleep has many recovery functions. Recovery functions are physical and mental. it is well understood, that sleep is a state with different sleep stages and the sleep stages have different recovery functions. While we assume that deep sleep is important for hormone secretion and the immune system, rapid-eye-movement sleep is more important for memory functions and mood. Sleep must have an individual minimum duration for full recovery. Sleep stages follow a predetermined sequence. Sleep disorders may affect this internal sleep program. Other disorders also have an impact on sleep. An overview on recovery functions and mechanisms is presented.
Speaker
Thomas Penzel
Charite University Hospital
Germany
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