Neuroendocrine Control of Sleep

Sleep is a phenomenon in animal behavior as enigmatic as it is ubiquitous, and one deeply tied to endocrine function. Though there are still many unanswered questions about the neurochemical basis of sleep and its functions, extensive interactions have been identified between sleep and the endocrine system, in both the endocrine system's effect on sleep and sleep's effect on the endocrine system. Unfortunately, until recent years, much research on sleep behavior largely disregarded its connections with the endocrine system. Use of both clinical studies and rodent models to investigate interactions between neuroendocrine function, including biological sex, and sleep therefore presents a promising area of further exploration. Further investigation of the neurobiological and neuroendocrine basis of sleep could have wide impact on a number of clinical and basic science fields. In this review, we summarize the state of basic sleep biology and its connections to the field of neuroendocrine biology, as well as suggest key future directions for the neuroendocrine regulation of sleep that may significantly impact new therapies for sleep disorders in women and men.