New data are presented on the role of the hypothalamus in re-arrangement of tonus of the vegetative nervous system during three forms of rest of the primary sleep in the frog. Temporal organization of the cycle " awakefulness -primary sleep" depends on interaction of the anterior and posterior hypothalamus. The anterior hypothalamus is responsible for manifestation of two forms of rest of the primary sleep, i.e. diurnal resting form (P-1) which is associated with the increase in plastic tone of skeletal muscles, and the other resting form (P-3) which is associated with the decrease in muscle tonus. These forms of rest are accompanied by the predominance of parasympathetic tonus of the vegetative nervous system. The posterior hypothalamus is associated with manifestation of the resting form which includes the increase in the rigidity of muscle tonus (P-2) and transient phasic increase in the heart rate, the latter being observed at all forms of the primary sleep. Statistical treatment of the ECG revealed specific pattern of two-dimensional density of distribution of probabilities of R-R intervals for the resting forms of the primary sleep which is important for identification of different phases in the " awakefulness -primary sleep" cycle in vertebrates.