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Delta wave activity, correlating with slow-wave (deep) sleep, in particular shows regular oscillations throughout a good night's sleep. Secretions of various hormones , including renin , growth hormone , and prolactin , correlate positively with delta-wave activity, while secretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone correlates inversely. [ 3 ]
Slow-wave sleep (SWS), often referred to as deep sleep, is the third stage of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM), where electroencephalography activity is characterised by slow delta waves. [ 2 ] Slow-wave sleep usually lasts between 70 and 90 minutes, taking place during the first hours of the night. [ 3 ]
The electrical activity seen on an EEG represents brain waves. The amplitude of EEG waves at a particular frequency corresponds to various points in the sleep-wake cycle, such as being asleep, being awake, or falling asleep. [16] Alpha, beta, theta, gamma, and delta waves are all seen in the different stages of sleep.
Stage 3 – previously divided into stages 3 and 4, is deep sleep, slow-wave sleep (SWS). Stage 3 was formerly the transition between stage 2 and stage 4 where delta waves, associated with "deep" sleep, began to occur, while delta waves dominated in stage 4.
The delta waves have been shown to be generated by recurrent connections within the cerebral cortex. During slow wave sleep, the cortex generates brief periods of activity and inactivity at 0.5–4 Hz, resulting in the generation of the delta waves of slow wave sleep.
The activity of K-complexes is transferred to the thalamus where it synchronizes the thalamocortical network during sleep, producing sleep oscillations such as spindles and delta waves. [7] It has been observed that they are indeed identical in the "laminar distributions of transmembrane currents" to the slow waves of slow-wave sleep. [1]
Sleep stages are characterized by spectral content of EEG: for instance, stage N1 refers to the transition of the brain from alpha waves (common in the awake state) to theta waves, whereas stage N3 (deep or slow-wave sleep) is characterized by the presence of delta waves. [107] The normal order of sleep stages is N1 → N2 → N3 → N2 → REM.
Each sleep cycle lasts about 90 to 110 minutes and includes stages that fall into two main phases: non-REM (or NREM) sleep and REM sleep. Non-REM sleep has three sub-stages: light sleep, deep ...