How to make a mouse sleep? - briefly
To induce sleep in a mouse, create a dark, quiet environment, restrict food for several hours, and keep the temperature stable around 22 °C. A small enclosed enclosure with soft bedding further promotes resting behavior.
How to make a mouse sleep? - in detail
Inducing rest in a laboratory mouse requires control of environmental, physiological, and pharmacological variables. The following steps outline a reliable protocol.
- Maintain a consistent light‑dark cycle, typically 12 h light followed by 12 h darkness. Dim lighting during the dark phase reduces arousal.
- Regulate ambient temperature between 20 °C and 24 °C. Temperatures outside this range increase metabolic stress and hinder sleep onset.
- Provide a quiet enclosure. Sound levels below 40 dB minimize disturbances that can fragment sleep.
- Offer a comfortable nesting material. Soft bedding encourages natural postural changes associated with sleep.
- Schedule handling and experimental procedures exclusively during the light phase to avoid disrupting the animal’s circadian rhythm.
- If pharmacological assistance is required, administer a short‑acting hypnotic such as medetomidine at 0.1 mg kg⁻¹ intraperitoneally. Allow 5–10 min for onset, then monitor electroencephalographic (EEG) and electromyographic (EMG) signals to confirm sleep stages.
- Record baseline sleep patterns for at least three consecutive days before any intervention. Use automated video tracking or telemetry to quantify total sleep time, latency to sleep, and bout architecture.
Implementing these measures creates a reproducible environment that facilitates natural sleep and, when necessary, supports chemically induced rest in mice. Continuous monitoring ensures that any deviation from expected sleep parameters is promptly identified and corrected.