Modulation of sleep using noninvasive stimulations during sleep.

Abstract

Among the various sleep modulation methods for improving sleep, three methods using noninvasive stimulation during sleep have been reviewed and summarized. The first method involves noninvasive direct brain stimulation to induce a current directly in the brain cortex. Electrically or magnetically applied stimulations trigger electrical events such as slow oscillations or sleep spindles, which can also be recorded by an electroencephalogram. The second method involves sensory stimulation during sleep, which provides stimulation through the sensory pathway to invoke equivalent brain activity like direct brain stimulation. Olfactory, vestibular, and auditory stimulation methods have been used, resulting in several sleep-modulating effects, which are characteristic and depend on the experimental paradigm. The third method is to modulate sleep by shifting the autonomic balance affecting sleep homeostasis. To strengthen parasympathetic dominance, stimulation was applied to decrease heart rate by synchronizing the heart rhythm. These noninvasive stimulation methods can strengthen slow-wave sleep, consolidate declarative or procedural memory, and modify sleep macrostructure. These stimulation methods provide evidence and possibility for sleep modulation in our daily life as an alternative method for the treatment of disturbed sleep and enhancing sleep quality and performance beyond the average level.