Did you know that quarter of your sleep time should be Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep? If you are getting a total of eight hours of sleep, at least two hours of it should be REM sleep. REM is a sleep stage where your brain activities are high, but the voluntary muscles are immobilized. This stage of sleep begins 90 minutes after falling asleep and is a stage where dreams occur. Getting sufficient REM is beneficial for individuals’ cognitive abilities.
“When we sleep, we go through different stages of sleep, mainly divided into NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) and REM,” says Dr Sunil Kumar K, lead consultant – interventional pulmonology, Aster CMI, Bangalore. NREM consists of stages which involve light sleep, while REM is when we have our dreams. REM sleep is a natural part of our sleep cycle, “If you sleep for 7 to 8 hours, that’s around 1 to 2 hours of REM sleep. Having about a quarter of our sleep time in REM is considered beneficial,” he added.
REM sleep occurs cyclically usually lasting from 90 to 120 minutes,” says Dr Sinjan Ghosh, consultant neurology, Fortis Hospital, Kolkata. However, it is difficult to demarcate between NREM and REM while a person is sleeping, hence the necessary sleep hours.
What happens to the body during the REM sleep cycle?
REM sleep stage is interesting as it is a stage where we dream and the way our body acts during it is even intriguing. The reason being during this phase of sleep, the body undergoes muscle atonia (muscle immobility caused by total muscle relaxation) while the brain experiences increased activity.
“This kind of paralytic ‘atonic’ state is nature’s plan to prevent individuals from acting out of the dreamy state, ensuring safety,” adds Dr Sinjan.
- Rapid Eye Movements: True to its name, REM sleep is characterized by rapid eye movement, says Dr Kumar.
- Vivid Dreams: REM sleep is often accompanied by dreams, which feel more real and those are emotionally engaging, says a study published in Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (2023).
- Multiple necessary functions: Neuroimaging studies reveal increased activity in brain regions during REM sleep.
Is REM sleep good?
REM sleep stage in the sleep cycle fulfills the role of memory consolidation, emotional processing, and cognitive abilities. Dr Ghosh emphasizes that if we do not get the proper kind of REM sleep, it can lead to neurological and psychological disorders in the long run.
- Memory booster: During REM sleep, the brain absorbs the information acquired throughout the day, facilitating learning and long-term memory formation.
- Emotional wellness: REM sleep stage plays a crucial role in emotional and psychological well-being. Dreams experienced during REM sleep often contain emotional content, allowing individuals to connect to their hidden feelings.
- Mood regulator: By revisiting the emotional memories close to the heart, REM sleep may help uplift mood and reduce emotional suffering.
- Creative problem solving: Dreams can provide insights and help find solutions to complex problems. It allows the brain to explore alternative situations and possibilities.
- Mental health promoter: Disruptions in REM sleep have been associated with various mental health disorders, like PTSD. Individuals with depression and anxiety often exhibit altered REM sleep patterns.
- Calibrates sleep quality: Even though we spend more time in NREM, the quality of our sleep is often judged by how much REM sleep we get, adds Dr Kumar.
Disorders associated with REM sleep
REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is discussed in a review published in Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria Journal (2023) as a sleep disorder characterized by the absence of normal muscle paralysis (muscle atonia) during REM sleep stage. This can lead to the action out of dreams where involuntary physical movements and behaviors can pose several dangers.
RBD may cause sleep disturbances, impacting overall health and cognitive functions. Emotional distress is also common among individuals with RBD. Even the sleeping partners may experience anxiety and such a scenario might affect the relationships.
“The RBD is a kind of parasomnia (abnormal disruption of sleep) where people start sleepwalking, sleep talking, bed wetting and might result in sleep apnea. This can lead to injury to themselves as well as the bed partners,” says Dr Shivaraj A L, consultant, pulmonology, Manipal Hospital, Bangalore.
Treatment options as explained in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (2023) include safety measures like removal of sharp objects or sleeping at a distance to partner, to avoid drugs which induce RBD behaviors as suggested by specialists.
“Giving extra melatonin can improve their quality of sleep cycles treating insomnia as well as REM sleep behavior disorder,” advises Dr Shivaraj.
Takeaways
- Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep stage includes a phase in the sleep cycle with rapid eye movements, enhanced brain activities and processing of dreams.
- The REM sleep phase can regulate memory, cognitive functions, facilitate quality sleep and is different from deep sleep.
- REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) which is a sleep disorder that can result in involuntary physical movements and behaviors dangerous for an individual as well as the sleep partner, needs medical help.
