Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is the fourth of five phases of the sleep cycle, and an important one: Per the the Sleep Foundation, it plays a vital role in your overall health and well-being. Characterized by rapid movements of the eyes, increased brain activity, vivid dreams, and temporary muscle paralysis, REM sleep is essential for cognitive functions, emotional regulation, and physical health.
The amount of REM sleep needed for optimal functioning begins in utero: Fetuses sleep most of the time, cycling between REM and non-REM stages. Newborns sleep about 16 hours a day, half of it spent in REM. By early childhood and thereafter, the REM stage accounts for about 25% of a total night’s sleep.
We are huge proponents of recovery as a means to restore and refuel your body and mind, and we aim for seven to nine hours of sleep a night—in part because that offers up a good window for optimal REM sleep to happen: For healthy adults, REM should account for anywhere from one hour and 45 minutes to two hours and 15 minutes each night.
According to Dr. Rami Khayat of UCI Health, an individual's sleep and REM patterns can temporarily change, such as after a bout of sleeplessness. Too much REM sleep can also be a problem, as it may be a sign of another issue, such as depression.
Regardless of whether you are getting the lower end or higher end of the reccommended amount of REM sleep, it is vital to your overall well-being. So let’s take a closer look at the importance of REM sleep and how you can get there nightly!
5 Reasons You Need REM Sleep
1. Overall Sleep Quality
The sleep cycle includes multiple stages, and REM sleep is a vital component of a balanced sleep architecture. Good sleep quality involves adequate time in each stage, including REM. Without sufficient REM sleep, you may be tired during the day—even to the point of fatigue—and will likely have impaired concentration and attention, which can lead to poor decision making. If you chronically don’t reach REM sleep, you can even experience depression and anxiety.
2. Cognitive Function and Memory Consolidation
During REM sleep, the brain is highly active, processing and consolidating information from the day. This stage is crucial for memory formation, as REM sleep helps convert short-term memories into long-term ones, enhancing learning and memory retention. REM sleep is also important for problem-solving and creativity. During REM sleep, the brain processes complex information and emotions which can improve your problem-solving skills and boost creativity.
3. Emotional Regulation
REM sleep plays a significant role in emotional health: During this stage, the brain processes and integrates emotional experiences such as stress and anxiety, which helps you maintain emotional balance. REM sleep also helps to decrease the levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, which in turn can lead to a calmer and more resilient emotional state.
4. Physical Health
Want to improve your physical health? Make REM sleep a priority! Getting to this stage in the sleep cycle helps support brain health (the increased brain activity during REM sleep helps maintain healthy neural connections and supports brain plasticity) as well as body restoration including the regulation of neurotransmitters and hormones.
5. Psychological Well-Being
REM sleep is the stage where most dreaming occurs—just one more reason to embrace REM. Dreams are vital to our psychological well-being, as they allow the brain to process and make sense of recent events and help us process emotions and occurances.
Now that we know the importance of REM sleep, getting there is obviously important yet may seem daunting. Our 10 Sleep Health Tips blog can help, covering everything from your sleep environment to what you should—and shouldn’t—be doing during the day to help promote better rest and sleep. You can also try products that promote better rest, such as Dream Tape. Inventor Todd Anderson, Sleep and Performance Optimization Coach, is a firm believer that REM sleep is vital to boosting mood, memory, learning and brain function. He invented Dream Tape strips to help promote nasal breathing. “Breathing through your nose improves the quality of your sleep, reducing snoring and sleep apnea episodes, which in turn provide the restorative rest you deserve,” says Todd.
Resources:
SleepFoundation.org, Mar. 2024: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/stages-of-sleep/rem-sleep
UCIhealth.org, Dec. 2023, https://www.ucihealth.org/blog/2023/12/rem-sleep
