Normal human sleep is often described as a state of reduced activity and reactivity, a kind of low general vigilance. Despite decades of intense scrutiny, our understanding of natural sleep is still incomplete. The two fundamental stages of sleep, nonrapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM), are present in man as well as animals. Problems with sleep are frequent complaints of modern man, and a variety of these complaints are explored. Cognizance of the essence of normal human sleep may facilitate the anesthetist's understanding of pharmacologically induced sleep.
正常人类睡眠通常被描述为一种活动和反应性降低的状态，一种总体警觉性较低的状态。尽管经过数十年的深入研究，我们对自然睡眠的理解仍然不完整。睡眠的两个基本阶段，即非快速眼动（NREM）和快速眼动（REM），在人类和动物中都存在。睡眠问题是现代人常见的抱怨，本文探讨了其中的多种抱怨。认识正常人类睡眠的本质可能有助于麻醉医生理解药物诱导的睡眠。
