What Is The REM Sleep Stage?
REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is one of the key stages of our sleep cycle, characterized by vivid dreams, rapid movement of the eyes, and heightened brain activity. During REM sleep, the muscles go limp, and the body experiences a form of paralysis, which happens to prevent us from physically acting out our dreams and hurting ourselves or others in the process.
The REM sleep stage plays a vital role in memory consolidation, emotional processing, and overall cognitive well-being.
Scientists first discovered REM sleep in the 1950s, and they quickly associated it with dreaming. Research has gone a long way since, but there is still much to learn about REM and other stages of sleep and their significance.
What’s The Difference Between REM Sleep And NREM Sleep?
Our sleep cycle consists of four stages following a strict order, and this cycle repeats multiple times during our nightly sleep. REM sleep is only one of those, the last one to be precise.
Before we go into the REM sleep stage, we go through three other sleep phases.
- N1 sleep stage – When we fall asleep, our body starts to relax, and our brain activity gets slower. If left undisturbed during this phase, one will move to the next sleep stage in a few minutes.
- N2 sleep stage – During this sleep phase, our body’s temperature drops, our muscles relax, breathing and heart rate slows down, eye movement stops, and brain activity changes to a slower pattern.
- N3 sleep stage – In this stage, the body relaxes even more, and brain activity follows a delta wave pattern. Research suggests that this stage is crucial for bodily processes and recovery. N3 is typically a very deep sleep phase.
The combination of these three stages makes up what we call NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep.
When we fall asleep, we enter the N1 stage, and after that, during a full sleep cycle, we go through the N2, the N3, and REM stages, in this order. This cycle repeats 4-6 times each night, with the REM stage getting longer with each cycle.
A common misconception is that REM sleep is the most important and restorative stage of sleep, but the truth is that each and all of them plays a vital role in the full sleep cycle.
How Much REM Sleep Do You Need?
How much sleep we need in general can differ from person to person, and it’s affected by various factors, such as age, lifestyle, medical conditions, and more. The general recommendation for adults is at least 7 hours of sleep daily.
While it can vary from person to person, typically, we spend about 20-25% of our total sleep time in REM sleep. This means around 90-120 minutes of REM sleep each night, the rest being NREM sleep.
What Happens If You Don’t Get Enough REM Sleep?
Experts believe we need more research on the effects of REM sleep deprivation. So far, studies suggest that it might be associated with memory problems and an increased risk of various health issues. However, the connections are not entirely clear yet.
What we know for sure is that sleep deprivation, in general, can have a significant effect on one’s overall health. It can lead to cognitive problems, anxiety, depression, excessive daytime sleepiness, and other various health issues.
Some sleep disorders can affect your sleep quality and how much REM sleep you get.
- Sleep apnea – The episodes of breathlessness associated with this condition force your brain to leave REM sleep to readjust your breathing to a normal pattern, leaving you with less REM sleep overall.
- RBD – People with REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder don’t experience the same muscle paralysis during REM sleep as everyone else. This leads to intense and sometimes dangerous movements when dreaming, leading to restless sleep and other problems.
- Narcolepsy – Narcolepsy is a sleep condition that causes intense sleep attacks while being awake. In some cases, this leads to cataplexy, a similar loss of muscle tone and function that you would experience during REM sleep. The condition can disrupt REM sleep patterns, cause restless sleep, and decrease your ability to function during the day.
If you haven’t got enough sleep lately, and you experience symptoms of sleep deprivation, your body might respond with something called REM rebound. REM rebound is when you stay in the REM sleep stage much longer than usual, which decreases the amount of NREM sleep you get.
How To Get More Deep Sleep?
If you want to increase your sleep quality and avoid the adverse effects of sleep deprivation, there are a few steps you can take to get more deep sleep during the night.
- Keep a strict sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends. If you take naps, make sure that you take them around the same time daily.
- Sleep in a dark and quiet environment. Use blackout curtains and earplugs or white noise if you need to.
- Decrease your alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine intake. Or at least try to avoid these before bedtime.
- Be physically active. Even just 20-30 minutes of light exercise a day can help you sleep better and stay healthier.
- Try to maintain a relaxing bedtime routine. Avoiding screens and stimulating activities before going to bed. Taking a hot bath, reading, or meditating instead can help you fall asleep faster and lead to a more restorative sleep.
- You can enhance sleep quality with sleep patches, herbal teas, and other natural supplements.
- Consult your healthcare provider if you experience symptoms of sleep disorders like sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or restless leg syndrome.
