Sleep: Implicating Interleukin-1

Men spend about one-third of their lives asleep and sleep is responsible for memory, emotion, perception, thought, judgement and even consciousness. Sleep is not only responsible for maintenance of healthy life but also for establishment of homeostasis in biological system. Sleep deprivation is a stressor affecting the brain as well as many body systems and researchers are continuously working to understand the sleep architecture and various substances which affect sleep. Wakefulness and sleep-wake-regulation are complex states, a lot of different components and regulatory mechanisms contribute to these functions. One of the factors involved in sleep wake regulation is the immune system particularly cytokines. Interleukin-1 is a pleotrophic cytokine, serving both physiological and pathological functions including modulation of memory, mood, inflammation, appetite, brain development and sleep. This article reviews and try to elaborate various downstream pathways and mediators involved in influence of cytokines on sleep architecture.