ABSTRACT
Sleep has remained a mysterious phenomenon since humans began thinking about it. It does seem illogical for humans and animals to spend a large part of their lives sleeping when they could be doing other things, not to mention that during sleep humans are significantly less able to protect or defend themselves against attack. REM sleep is identified by the rapid movement of the eyes beneath the closed lids, and appears to be the lightest form of sleep. Areas that promote sleep include the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPN) in the anterior hypothalamus. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a situation in which sleep is disturbed by a constant need to move the legs rhythmically in order to prevent the onset of unpleasant sensations. Modafinil is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant used to treat narcolepsy, with or without cataplexy. It increases histamine from the hypothalamus and increases dopamine in various parts of the brain, including the nucleus accumbens.
