Neurochemistry of sleep

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A lot of research has been done into the mechanism involved behind sleep.
If I ask you what induces sleep some of you may reply that it’s the effect
of serotonin.This was so in the early experimental studies.The ongoing work
has shown that the raphe-serotonin system is not essential for induction of sleep.It has only a facilitatory role.
Now and then researchers have come up with proofs of what plays a role in sleep.Let me fill you in with some of those factors.

1.Pontine cholinergic transmission has a role in REM sleep generation..REM
(rapid eye movement)is that stage of sleep during which you dream.
2.The role of adenosine got evident from the alerting influence of caffeine.
3.A role of endogenous ligands of GABAa receptor complex was suggested by the calming effect of pharmacological drugs benzodiazepines and barbiturates.
4.Hypocretin(orexin),a newly characterized neuropeptide,may have a part.It has been incriminated in the pathophysiology of narcolepsy.Further studies are underway.

Various sleep-promoting substances identified are as follows-
Prostaglandin D2 ,delta sleep-inducing peptide, muramyl dipeptide,interleukin 1,fatty acid primary amides, and melatonin.Their effect is primarily limited to NREM sleep or slow-wave sleep.

There may be a link between immune function and sleep-wake states.Several immunologically active substances have shown a sleep-promoting effect.Interleukin 1 and prostaglandin D2 being two of them.