REM sleep is part of the body's natural sleep cycle and takes up about 20-25% of sleep time amongst healthy adults. REM sleep can offer many benefits as it is connected to cognitive functions, dreams and managing stress.
Keep reading to learn more about REM sleep, how it differentiates from non-REM sleep and the various health benefits it can offer your mind and body.
REM Sleep Explained
REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is part of the body's natural sleep cycle and typically occurs after experiencing the stages of non-REM sleep, around 90 minutes after initially falling asleep. The first period of REM sleep can last approximately 10 minutes; however, this can increase to an hour as the cycle repeats and you experience more REM sleep stages.
During REM-sleep, your brain becomes more active and can be similar to your mental state while you're awake. Due to this increased activity, you can experience more vivid dreams, as well as rapid eye movement and faster breathing. While your brain is more active, your body becomes more relaxed and paralysed, which can help prevent movement while dreaming.
Fun Fact!
Babies tend to spend around 50% of their sleeping time in REM sleep, whereas adults solely experience approximately 25% of REM sleep.
REM Sleep Benefits
The different sleep cycle stages can offer various benefits and are essential to maintaining your physical and mental health. Below are some key benefits of REM sleep and its effects on your mind and body.
- Memory: REM sleep can help with memory consolidation, which allows your brain to stabilise temporary memories and make them more long-lasting. Research✓ has been able to link REM sleep directly to spatial and contextual memory consolidation.
- Brain Development: In infants, REM sleep can help with brain development. Studies✓ have found that REM sleep, which dominates a child’s sleep, is linked to important emotional functions.
- Stress & Trauma: Research✓ has indicated that REM sleep is connected to stress, trauma and PTSD. It is believed that REM sleep can help with fear management and build resilience to trauma.
- Emotional Intelligence: Those who spend more time in REM sleep, may find it easier to read others emotions. A small study✓ involving 36 adults found that those who reached REM sleep during their nap, were better able to accurately interpret facial expressions and emotions.
REM Sleep Vs Non-REM Sleep
Non-REM and REM sleep work together to form a sleep cycle consisting of several different stages. Most agree that the cycle has 4-5 different phases, with non-REM sleep taking up the majority of the time. Here are the key differences between the two different stages and the benefits they can offer you as you sleep.
| Non-REM Sleep | REM Sleep |
|---|---|
| ☐ The first stage of REM sleep occurs within the first 5-10 minutes after falling asleep when you are lightly sleeping and can be easily woken up. | ○ REM sleep is the final stage of the sleep cycle and is experienced after non-REM sleep. |
| ☐ Body temperature drops, and the heart rate slows down as you begin to relax into a deeper sleep. | ○ REM sleep typically occurs around 60-90 minutes after falling asleep. |
| ☐ Deep sleep occurs approximately 20- 25 minutes after falling asleep. | ○ During REM sleep, your brain becomes more active, your eyes move rapidly, and you can experience vivid dreams. |
| ☐ During deep sleep, your body can repair build muscle and bone, and your immune system can strengthen. | ○ Experiencing REM sleep can cause your body to relax and become temporarily paralysed while your breathing becomes more rapid. |
| ☐ Getting older can prompt less deep sleep as you tend to sleep more lightly. | ○ Once the REM stage has ended, the sleep cycle starts again and goes back to the early stages of non-REM sleep. |
Dreams & REM Sleep
Whether you remember your dreams or not, they are likely to be experienced during REM sleep. Studies✓ have shown that those awakened during REM sleep recalled having more detailed, vivid and emotional dreams when compared to those awakened during non-REM sleep. It has also been found that an estimated 65% of dreams are related to sadness, anger or apprehension, while 20% are associated with happiness or excitement.
For decades, the importance of dreams experienced during REM sleep has been discussed and debated. Research✓ published in the Evolutionary Psychology Journal states that dreams serve as a rehearsal mechanism and can be essential for human cognitive development.
Dreaming is also believed to help with problem-solving, as your brain can use this time to collect large amounts of knowledge and connect information together to find solutions. One study✓ found that participants who woke up during non-REM sleep lacked creativity and problem-solving techniques. In contrast, those awakened during REM sleep could solve 15-35% more puzzles than in regular waking hours.
Did you know?
Sleep paralysis✓ is a relatively harmless experience that typically occurs if you wake up during REM sleep. Despite most only getting sleep paralysis once or twice in their lifetime, it can be frightening due to the temporary paralysis and other symptoms.
Increasing REM Sleep
REM sleep offers many benefits, such as stress management, brain development and improving cognitive abilities. For this reason, it's important to make sure you are getting around 90 -100 minutes of REM sleep every night to maintain a healthy sleep cycle. If you struggle to fall asleep or aren't getting enough sleep, there are several steps you can take.
- Sleep Schedule: Maintaining a regular sleep schedule involves going to bed and waking up at the same time. This can help your body’s internal clock to prepare for sleep and waking.
- Meditation: If stress is preventing you from sleeping, meditation can help to calm your mind. Research✓ has shown that mindfulness meditation can help improve sleep quality and could be used to treat sleep disturbances.
- Sleep Environment: To help you relax, it’s important that you have a comfortable sleeping environment. Factors such as temperature, lighting and noise can all play a significant role in aiding your circadian rhythm, the body’s natural internal clock.
- Avoid Technology: Many technological devices omit blue light, which can negatively impact the circadian rhythm. Studies✓ have shown that blue light can also suppress melatonin, the hormone which helps you sleep.
- Regular Exercise: Research✓ has found that engaging in at least 30 minutes of exercise per day can help improve sleep quality. However, for some people, it’s better to avoid vigorous exercise 1-2 hours before bed as it can increase alertness and body temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is REM sleep?
Rapid eye movement sleep, otherwise known as REM sleep, is the final stage of the body's natural sleep cycle. During this time, the eyes move more rapidly, you can experience vivid dreams, and the body becomes temporarily paralysed.
How much REM sleep do you need?
Although this may differ from person to person, most healthy adults should be getting around 90 minutes of REM sleep during the night. This should account for 20-25% of your total sleep time.
How to get more REM sleep?
You can try various techniques and methods to encourage more REM sleep and increase sleep time in general.
This could include reducing stress through meditation, avoiding technology and caffeine before bed and maintaining a regular sleep schedule.