Sleep research in 2023: beyond the bare necessities

Sleep of sufficient quality and duration is essential for good health and reduces the risk of cardiometabolic diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and dementia. In experimental models, the traditional approach to investigate sleep function is by depriving research animals of sleep. 1 Siegel JM Sleep function: an evolutionary perspective. Lancet Neurol. 2022; 21: 937-946 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (29) Google Scholar However, this approach might have confounding effects due to the stress induced by the procedure, potentially affecting the results. 1 Siegel JM Sleep function: an evolutionary perspective. Lancet Neurol. 2022; 21: 937-946 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (29) Google Scholar Generally, in old animals, the effects of ageing outweigh the effects of sleep deprivation. Conversely, in young animals, acute sleep deprivation not only affects learning and memory, but also metabolic physiology, resembling the effects of ageing.