Instead, we can feel just as alert at 4:00 p.m. We’d also likely feel most alert in the morning, with that alertness wearing off the longer we were awake. If sleep/wake homeostasis alone regulated our sleep drive, we’d likely find ourselves yo-yoing between sleep and alertness throughout each day.
Finally, our need for alertness grows, telling us that it’s time to wake up. As we sleep, we regain homeostasis and our sleep drive diminishes. When we’ve been awake for a long period of time, our sleep drive tells us that it’s time to sleep. Sleep/wake homeostasis balances our need for sleep, called a “sleep drive” or “sleep pressure,” with our need for wakefulness. “ Homeostasis describes a state of equilibrium between different elements of an organism or group. These systems determine your sleep drive, or your body’s need for sleep, at any given time. Have you ever noticed that you feel more alert at certain times of day, and feel more tired at other times? Those patterns are a result of two body systems: sleep/wake homeostasis and your circadian rhythm, or internal body clock.
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