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Hypnagogic State
Hypnagogia is the transitional state from wakefulness to sleep, also defined as the waning state of consciousness during the onset of sleep. Its corresponding state is '' hypnopompia'' sleep to wakefulness. Mental phenomena that may occur during this "threshold consciousness" include hallucinations, lucid dreaming, and sleep paralysis. Etymology In 1848, Alfred Maury introduced the term "hypnagogic" from the Greek words ύπνος (“hypnos”), meaning “sleep”, and αγωγός (“agōgos”), meaning “conductor” or “leader”. Later, in 1904, Frederic Myers coined the term "hypnopompic," with its word-ending originating from the Greek word "pompos," meaning "sender." Definitions The word ''hypnagogia'' is sometimes used in a restricted sense to refer to the onset of sleep, and contrasted with '' hypnopompia'', Frederic Myers's term for waking up. However, ''hypnagogia'' is also regularly employed in a more general sense that covers both falling asleep and waki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Wakefulness
Wakefulness is a daily recurring brain state and state of consciousness in which an individual is conscious and engages in coherent cognition, cognitive and behavioral responses to the external world. Being awake is the opposite of being asleep, in which most external inputs to the brain are excluded from neural processing. Effects upon the brain The longer the brain has been awake, the greater the synchronous firing rates of cerebral cortex neurons. After sustained periods of sleep, both the speed and synchronicity of the neurons firing are shown to decrease. Another effect of wakefulness is the reduction of glycogen held in the astrocytes, which supply energy to the neurons. Studies have shown that one of sleep's underlying functions is to replenish this glycogen energy source. Maintenance by the brain Wakefulness is produced by a complex interaction between multiple neurotransmitter systems arising in the brainstem and ascending through the midbrain, hypothalamus, thalamus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |