Despite its ubiquity, do you really know what this term means? Understanding the utility of sleep, in general, is aided by knowing that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is crucial. Most people fall asleep every night without paying any consideration to the many stages their brain and body go through or how they can affect their health. Yet, a thorough understanding of REM sleep’s role is crucial. During this phase of the sleep cycle, there are substantial changes to memory, mental clarity, and mood.
Understand the Changing Nature of Your Sleep Cycle
How often do you wake up feeling more weary than when you went to bed? This might be because you didn’t spend enough time in deep slumber. Most individuals go through two distinct stages of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (or deep) sleep (non-rapid eye movement). There are distinct periods of falling asleep, light sleep, and deep sleep during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. As you get into a deep sleep stage, your heart rate and blood pressure decrease, and the next morning, you feel revitalised and rejuvenated. So what is rem sleep?
During a typical night’s rest, your body will cycle through both REM and NREM sleep phases at about the same rates. An estimated 75% of sleep time is spent in the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) state, while REM sleep accounts for the remaining 25%. Get between seven and a half and nine hours of sleep every night, or as close to that as possible. This is the equivalent of five or six full sleep cycles. To get the greatest outcomes, do this. If you can time your awakening such that you do so at the end of a cycle rather than the middle, you may find that you feel more refreshed and rested.
Recognizing Rapid Eye Movement Sleep
During the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, a person’s eyes move rapidly, darting back and forth under their closed lids, thus the name. Most of your dreams will come true while you’re in this state. At the same time, your muscles will temporarily freeze, which is important to prevent you from trying to act out the scenes you see in your dreams. In contrast to non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, which involves less brain activity, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is considered to be a more “awake” state. Your heart rate and blood pressure both increase to levels typical of being awake during REM sleep.
REM Sleep: Why Is It So Important?
During the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, your brain undertakes a lot of work associated with consolidation and processing of new information. Then, you will be able to access this information from your long-term memory whenever necessary. When you get enough REM sleep, you’ll be able to ensure yourself a higher level of mental concentration and better control of your emotions, both of which are essential to your day-to-day work performance and your overall quality of life. Improved focus and emotional stability may be achieved with the aid of REM sleep.
Not receiving enough REM sleep may lead to serious problems, such as those listed below. Sleep deprivation at this critical time may weaken your immune system, increase your sensitivity to discomfort, and prevent your body from making new, healthy cells and tissue. You may not be getting enough quality REM sleep due to sleep disorders including insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea, which cause frequent wakings throughout the night.
