[Sleep in children: physiology and update of a literature review].

: Sleep is an active and cyclic physiological process that has a critical impact on health. Its functions are numerous: growth, development, learning, memory, synaptic efficiency, regulation of behavior, emotion, immune strengthening and cleaning time of neurotoxic substances. During the first years of life, there are a number of important changes in development, which lead to the expected pattern of sleep and wakefulness in adults. The sleep occupies a third of the adult's life. However, sleeping during the first months of life takes up more than 50% of time. This review of the topic will describe normal sleep patterns in childhood.