Time-Resolved Neural Oscillations Across Sleep Stages: Associations with Sleep Quality and Aging

Abstract

Sleep is a fundamental physiological process critical to cognitive function, memory consolidation, emotional regulation, and overall health. This study investigates the relationship between EEG spectral power dynamics and key sleep metrics, including percentage of N3, biological age, percentage of REM, and total sleep time (TST). Using high-resolution spectral analysis, we examine how power across multiple frequency bands (0.1 - 50 Hz) evolves temporally across sleep stages and influences sleep architecture. Our results reveal an inverse relationship between high-frequency power (sigma, beta, and gamma) during the N1 and N2 stages and the subsequent percentage of N3, suggesting that excessive low-frequency power in N2 may disrupt the smooth progression into deep sleep. Additionally, we identify a negative correlation between low delta power (0.1 - 0.5 Hz) during N2 and both percentages of N3 and TST, challenging traditional views on the role of delta activity in sleep regulation. These findings advance the understanding of how brain activity across frequencies modulates sleep depth and duration, with implications for addressing age-related sleep declines.