What is REM sleep?

REM sleep is essential for brain development, emotional processing and more

REM sleep – otherwise known as Rapid Eye Movement sleep, active sleep, desynchronised sleep, paradoxical sleep and more – is a vital part of our nightly cycle. It is an essential function that can impact everything from our emotions to our brain function.

Understanding this aspect of our sleep is an important step in prioritising sleep for your health and wellbeing. We’re going to take a closer look at what REM sleep is and why it’s important for your overall health.

What is REM sleep?

REM sleep is the stage of sleep most associated with dreaming and consolidating memories. First discovered in the 1950s, REM sleep is so named because scientists noticed distinct periods of sleep in infants when their eyes would move rapidly from side to side.

What happens during REM sleep?

During REM sleep, your eyes move and your heart rate picks up. Your brain is highly active during REM sleep, in direct contrast with other sleep stages when your brain slows down. Your bodily functions operate almost as they would during wakefulness. However, the eyes are closed and muscle function remains dormant. This is theorised by some researchers to be a protective measure to stop you acting out your dreams, but others disagree as we are able to dream during other sleep stages too.

When does REM sleep happen?

Your first cycle of REM sleep occurs around 60-90 minutes after you fall asleep. During the night, you cycle through the four stages of sleep multiple times: three stages of non-REM sleep and one stage of REM sleep. Each full sleep cycle takes between 90 and 120 minutes to complete. Each subsequent cycle contains greater periods of REM sleep, with most of your dreaming happening in the second half of the night.

Simply put the four stages of sleep include two stages of Light Sleep, one stage of Deep Sleep, followed by the final stage: REM sleep.

Why is REM sleep important?

The dreams you experience during REM sleep are more vivid than any dreams you may experience during other sleep stages. This makes REM sleep important for processing your thoughts and feelings, helping your brain process the day’s emotions and information. During REM sleep, your amygdala becomes more active. This is the part of the brain that processes emotions.

REM sleep is also important for memory consolidation. Your brain processes new motor skills and learnings from the day during REM sleep, committing some to memory and deleting others. Researchers have also suggested that REM sleep promotes brain development, as infants spend most of their time asleep in REM sleep.

In the short term, REM sleep can also make it easier to wake up due to its activation of the central nervous system. This would explain why we spend increasing amounts of time in REM sleep as the night progresses.

The consequences of not getting REM sleep

Long term REM sleep deprivation is thought to contribute to memory problems, which are only exacerbated by suffering from overall sleep deprivation. When we struggle to enjoy a good night’s sleep, we may experience difficulty concentrating, excessive daytime sleepiness and forgetfulness. Over time, these issues can expand to include physical health concerns, depression, an increased risk of accidents and more.

By prioritising better sleep, you can give your body and mind all the recovery time it needs in order to protect your health and wellbeing.

The best sleep happens on a high-quality mattress, so check out the Perks range today. You can also explore the rest of our blog for more sleep news and tips.