The present study aimed to explore the biochemical, hematological and histological
effects of sleep deprivation and effect of aqueous extract of ginger and recovery sleep in
rats. Adult male rats were sleep deprived for a period of 5 days using grid suspended over
water method. Aqueous ginger extract (500 mg/kg/day, p.o) was administered for 8 days,
starting 3 days before sleep deprivation. Recovery sleep was allowed for two days. Sleep
deprivation insignificantly increased corticosterone, significantly elevated levels of
malondialdehyde and protein carbonyls, decreased levels of ascorbic acid, reduced
glutathione (GSH) and depressed total antioxidant activity in blood plasma and heart. In
addition, sleep deprivation increased level of total IgGs, elevated total count of leucocytes
and differential (neutrophils and lymphocytes). Besides, sleep deprivation caused
extravasations of Evan's blue dye in the brain tissues (brain cortex, midbrain and brain
stem). Moreover, sleep deprivation induced histological abnormalities in cardiac tissue
manifested as inflammation, hemorrhage and degeneration of cardiomyocytes. Ginger
extract significantly offered protection against the harmful effects of sleep deprivation.
Recovery sleep had a restorative effect of the normal levels of most tested parameters. The
study indicated that sleep deprivation caused harmful effects independent of stress
earnings, by inducing oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction leading to damage in the
cardiac tissue and temporally breakdown in the blood brain barrier. It's worthy to note
that ginger offered protection while recovery sleep had a restorative effect against sleep
deprivation effects.