A lingering question about sleep

[koganmj]

So I've spent the last 2 weeks heavily absorbing myself in the topic of light and how it affects health. I've been pleasantly surprised at how much of an affect light has on sleep - perhaps it equals in importance with nutrition. One lingering question I'm yet to find the answer for, so I'll defer to the smartest people I know and save myself a lot of time:

What is/are the actual biological process/es that take place with-inside the body that are responsible for transitioning you from being awake to being asleep?


*the amount of ppl across the net who think its all melatonin and are popping the stuff like its candy - SHUDDER*

 

[Blossom]

I don't have a detailed answer but I do think looking toward adenosine/adenosine metabolism in the brain seems to offer a sensible explanation of why we fall asleep and wake up. There are a multitude of hormonal (and other) shifts that occur in our circadian rhythm but what happens with adenosine seems to be the most influential where sleep is concerned in my unexpert opinion. Adenosine is considered a xanthine and caffeine (also a xanthine) blocks it's action and can often keep us awake. I realize it's not an in-depth reply but I thought I'd at least mention that if it could help in your search for a comprehensive answer.

 

[BingDing]

The guy who writes this page is interesting to read. In the last section he writes "The control of sleep & alertness involves a bewildering array of chemicals & neural structures." The last two paragraphs are sort of on point to your question.