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NREM Sleep Physiology

Meaning

NREM Sleep Physiology encompasses the detailed biological processes and characteristic brain activity patterns that define the Non-Rapid Eye Movement stages of sleep, which are crucial for physical restoration and declarative memory consolidation. This phase is characterized by a progressive slowing of brain waves, culminating in the high-amplitude, low-frequency delta waves of slow-wave sleep (SWS), or deep sleep. Physiologically, NREM sleep is marked by reduced muscle tone, decreased heart rate and respiration, and the peak pulsatile release of growth hormone. It is the primary period for metabolic rest and cellular repair throughout the body.