Rem Sleep: Why Am I Getting More Than Average?

Sleep is a complex and mysterious process that is essential for the body and brain to rest and recover. While sleeping, we cycle through different stages of sleep, including rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. REM sleep is characterized by rapid eye movements, increased brain activity, and vivid dreaming. Although there are no set guidelines for the amount of REM sleep a person needs, it is generally recommended that adults get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, with REM sleep comprising about a quarter of that time.

There are several factors that can affect the amount of REM sleep a person experiences. For instance, sleep disorders, substance use, and certain medications can impact REM sleep quality and duration. Additionally, age plays a role, as older adults tend to spend less time in REM sleep.

If you feel you are getting more REM sleep than average, it could be due to a variety of reasons, including sleep deprivation, stress, or a rebound effect from a previous lack of sleep. Tracking your sleep patterns and consulting a healthcare professional can help you understand and address any concerns related to your sleep.

How much REM sleep do you need?

REM sleep is important for your mental and emotional recovery. During this sleep stage, your brain transfers short-term memories from your motor cortex to your temporal lobe, ensuring they become long-term memories. Research has also shown that REM sleep helps you heal from traumatic experiences by suppressing troubling memories.

There is no official agreement on how much REM sleep you need, but experts believe that dreaming helps you process emotions. For most adults, REM sleep makes up about 20-25% of sleep, which seems to be healthy during average sleep cycles. During your first sleep cycle each night, your REM stage will be short, lasting only a few minutes. But as your cycles continue, your REM sleep will get longer until your last cycle, which typically lasts around an hour.

If you don't get enough REM sleep, you may experience the following symptoms:

• Poor concentration
• Trouble remembering things
• Lack of energy
• Low mood
• Trouble coping with emotions
• A weakened immune system
• Feeling groggy in the morning

If you are experiencing these symptoms, you may want to try to increase your REM sleep by getting more sleep overall.

What happens if you don't get enough REM sleep?

REM sleep is essential for your mental and emotional recovery. During this sleep stage, your brain transfers short-term memories from your motor cortex to your temporal lobe, ensuring they become long-term memories. It also helps you heal from traumatic experiences by suppressing troubling memories.

If you don't get enough REM sleep, you may experience the following:

• Poor concentration
• Trouble remembering things
• Lack of energy
• Low mood
• Trouble coping with emotions
• A weakened immune system
• Feeling groggy in the morning
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Changes in mood and memory
• Issues with cognition and problem-solving

In addition, not getting enough REM sleep can affect your cardiovascular health and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. It may also contribute to cancer, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

To increase your REM sleep, you need to get more sleep overall. Here are some tips to improve your sleep:

• Create a relaxing bedtime routine to help you wind down each night.
• Set a sleep schedule and stick to it. Try to wake up and go to bed at the same time every day.
• Avoid nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals close to bedtime.
• Exercise and spend some time outside in natural sunlight every day.
• Avoid TV and electronics before bed as the light from screens can interfere with your sleep.

What is REM sleep good for?

REM sleep is essential for brain health and function. It is involved in a host of important functions, from brain development to emotional processing.

REM sleep is important for:

• Memory consolidation: During this sleep stage, your brain transfers short-term memories from your motor cortex to your temporal lobe, ensuring they become long-term memories.
• Emotional processing: Your brain processes emotions during REM sleep. Dreams, which are more vivid in REM sleep, may be involved in emotional processing. Also, your amygdala, the part of your brain that processes emotions, activates during REM sleep.
• Brain development: REM sleep is thought to aid in the development of the central nervous system, which includes your brain and spinal cord. This may be why infants, particularly newborns, require so much REM sleep.
• Protection against dementia: People who get less REM sleep may have a greater risk of developing dementia. A study published in the journal Neurology found that for every 1% reduction in REM sleep, there was a 9% increase in the risk of dementia.
• Learning: During REM sleep, your brain prunes its synapses, the spaces in which brain cells communicate with one another. This appears to improve memory and problem-solving abilities.
• Mood regulation: REM sleep helps your brain process emotional memories, including those associated with fear.
• Dreaming: A majority of your dreams occur during REM sleep. However, it is a common myth that REM sleep is the only stage in which dreams occur.

REM sleep is so important that if you don't get enough one night, your body will naturally increase it the next — you'll enter this stage earlier and stay in it for longer. This is known as REM rebound.

How is REM sleep different from non-REM sleep?

Sleep is divided into two stages: REM (rapid eye movement) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. NREM sleep is further split into three parts: starting to fall asleep, light sleep, and deep sleep. During deep sleep, your breathing slows down, your blood pressure drops, and your energy is renewed.

During a typical night, your sleep alternates through cycles of REM and NREM sleep about every 90 minutes. The REM stage accounts for approximately 25 percent of sleep time, while the NREM stage takes up the other 75 percent.

REM sleep is characterised by rapid eye movement and brain activity similar to when you are awake. Your eyes move rapidly behind closed eyelids, and your brain waves increase in speed. Your muscle activity is suppressed, so you remain physically still. It is during this stage that most of your vivid dreaming takes place. Your muscles are temporarily paralysed, so you don't act out your dreams.

Non-REM sleep involves three stages:

Stage 1

This is the lightest stage of sleep. Your eyes are closed, but it is easy to wake you up. This phase may last for 5 to 10 minutes.

Stage 2

You are in light sleep, but it is deeper than stage 1. Your heart rate and breathing slow down, and your body temperature drops. Your body is getting ready for deep sleep. This can last for 10-25 minutes.

Stage 3

This is the deep sleep stage. It is harder to wake you up during this stage, and if someone did, you would feel disoriented for a few minutes. In adults, stage 3 makes up about 25% of total sleep time. During this stage, the body repairs and regrows tissues, builds bone and muscle, and strengthens the immune system.

How to increase REM sleep

REM sleep is important for memory consolidation, brain development, emotional processing, and creativity. It is also crucial for recovering from stressful events, and getting enough REM sleep after a traumatic event may reduce the chances of developing post-traumatic stress disorder.

• Stick to a consistent sleep schedule: Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day can help ensure you get the best sleep and enough REM. Irregular sleep schedules have been linked to issues such as diabetes, heart failure, and depression.
• Keep the bedroom cool and dark: A cool, dark bedroom can help you fall asleep faster. A dark room promotes melatonin production, and a cooler room aligns with your body's natural drop in temperature at night, signalling to your body that it's time for sleep.
• Add aromatherapy to your bedtime routine: Research suggests that the scent of essential oils like lavender, bergamot, and cedarwood can calm your nervous system and make you sleepier.
• Try white noise or earplugs: White noise can block out other sounds and help you fall asleep and stay asleep. Alternatively, earplugs can be useful if you prefer silence.
• Eat more magnesium-rich foods: Magnesium plays an important role in sleep regulation. Pumpkin and chia seeds, almonds, and spinach are all good sources of magnesium.
• Cut back on caffeine: Caffeine disrupts your sleep cycle and should be avoided in the second half of the day. This includes not only coffee but also black and green teas, and sodas.
• Avoid alcohol before bed: Alcohol disrupts your sleep cycle, particularly REM sleep. It takes the body about an hour to process one standard drink.
• Exercise regularly: Regular exercise can help improve your sleep and increase your REM sleep. Try to exercise several hours before bed.
• Create a relaxing bedtime routine: Activities such as reading, listening to music, or taking a warm bath can help you wind down before sleep.
• Avoid nicotine and caffeine: These stimulants can interfere with sleep.
• Avoid TV and electronics before bed: The light from screens can interfere with your sleep.

Frequently asked questions