You may also struggle with focused attention, creativity, and thinking. Research suggests that missing out on REM sleep can lead to emotional reactivity and anxiety. If you don’t get enough REM sleep, you might have more trouble managing your mood and emotions. What happens if you don’t get enough REM sleep? Sleep scientists continue to work to understand the link between sleep and mental health. That said, much of what experts know about this subject comes from animal research. This is because emotional processing - the complex relationship between memory and emotion - likely takes place during REM sleep. Getting enough REM sleep is important for good mental health. What is the connection between REM sleep and mental health? But research suggests that dreaming may be important for creativity, learning, and emotional regulation. Scientists can’t completely explain what’s happening when we’re dreaming. Most of our dreams take place during REM sleep. Newborn babies spend about half of their sleep time in REM sleep. This is probably one reason why children sleep more than adults. REM sleep also supports brain development. Research suggests that REM sleep may play a role in memory formation. During REM sleep, your brain processes information that it got during the day. Researchers think that REM sleep may be important for learning new information and skills. You can think of deep sleep as the stage that heals the body and REM sleep as the stage that restores the brain. As noted above, deep sleep is also known as the “N3 phase” of non-REM sleep.ĭeep sleep and REM sleep also have different functions in the body. What’s the difference between REM sleep and deep sleep?ĭeep sleep and REM sleep are different stages of the sleep cycle. This is why many dreams take place in the morning. After you’ve been asleep for about 6 hours, most of your sleep will be REM sleep. (You get most of your deep sleep in the early part of the night.) But as the night progresses, you’ll spend more time in REM sleep. Right after you fall asleep, your sleep cycles will mostly be non-REM sleep. A cycle lasts for about 90 to 120 minutes, and most people naturally wake up after 4 to 6 sleep cycles.ĭuring a sleep cycle, the length of each sleep stage depends on how long you have been asleep. Non-REM sleep has three distinct phases, including N1 and N2 (light sleep) as well as N3 (deep sleep).Īfter REM sleep, which is the last stage, the cycle starts over again. REM sleep is also the stage you’re in when you’re dreaming. REM sleep gets its name from the rapid back-and-forth eye movements that happen during this stage. The main sleep stages are REM sleep and non-REM sleep. In each sleep cycle, you move through several stages of sleep. In a typical night of sleep, you go through several sleep cycles. We’ll also discuss how much REM sleep you need and how to get more of it. This article will explain REM sleep, including what happens during this stage of sleep and why it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough. Humans have two main stages of sleep - rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. And although sleep may seem uneventful, there’s actually a lot going on while you’re sleeping. There’s no denying that after a day of being awake and active, both your brain and body need sleep.
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