Sleep deprivation: Neural regulation and consequences

Sleep is one of the great unsolved mysteries of biology. It is an important physiological process responsible for the physical, mental and emotional health of a living being. A good sleep is one of the most satisfying human experiences with a role to play in maintaining a good mood and cognitive acuity as well as in promoting physiologic balance and resilience. Chronic sleep deprivation can cause significant and cumulative physiological, neurobehavioral and neurocognitive deficits. Reduced sleep durations are associated with impaired functionality of the brain, thus slowly increase the vulnerability to neuropathology.