Delving Into the Realm of REM Sleep

Have you seen someone’s eyelids gently trembling while sleeping? It is more visible if the person has long eyelashes. This movement is called REM and it is said when that happens, that person is dreaming. Is it really so?

REM Sleep is labelled by the experts as the deepest and the most refreshing form of sleep. REM stands for “Rapid Eye Movement” and is characterized by frequent movement of the eyelids whilst sleeping. It plays a huge role in our well-being.

Today, I will describe the benefits of REM sleep and why it is a must for all of us. Besides, I will share the findings of actual researches that have taken place in this regard.

It is of no use to saying that we lead fairly hectic lives. We get back home from work fully drained and lethargic and just go to sleep out of tiredness. Then we get back early in the morning the next day and the cycle repeats.

But the question is, the sleep that we are getting, is it a deep sleep? There are five layers of sleep . There are four stages of Non-REM (NREM) sleep followed by REM sleep. If someone goes to bed out of tiredness and has to wake up a few hours later, he/she is not getting the full benefit of sleep.

REM Sleep Functions

REM sleep is responsible for some key functions of our body and mind. It is closely connected to creativity, learning and memory encoding.

The brain exercises important neural connections during this phase of the sleep. Effectiveness of this neural pathways are highly important for physiological functions of the body. Besides, stimulations occurs in the important areas of the brain that are responsible for memory formation and learning new skills.

Many researchers believe that the random dreams that we experience during the REM sleep is way of the brain to process the memories. The constant movement of the eyelids indicate that rapid change of scenes. Our brain’s ability to produce this unique dreams enhances our creativity.

Moreover, during REM sleep the brain gets rid of neurotoxins. It is a waste byproduct that gets produced in the brain which needs to be filtered out. People who are devoid of REM sleep are at higher risks of Alzheimer’s disease.

What does researchers say

A study done by Sandra Ackermann and Björn Rasch in 2014 highlighted the effects of REM and NREM sleep on memory formation. They said that, as a person experiences vivid dreams during the REM phase, the amygdala activation is increased and the emotional memories are reprocessed. This can also be inferred from ancient times when people could meticulously explain their visions of dreams.

Interestingly, McNamara, Auerbach, and some other researchers studied the consequences of REM sleep on the memory and overall mood of depressed patients. Participants were periodically awakened after a short REM session. They gave accounts of their dream, recalled a memory, and evaluated their feelings at those intervals.

Bed is our most sought-after place after a long, tiring day. However, just nose-diving into bed and snoring a few minutes later doesn’t guarantee quality sleep. For our well-being, deep REM sleep is a must.
You don’t want to wake up sluggish and feeling lazy, do you? So in order to start your day full of energy and ready to take on new challenges as well as to strengthen your brain cell, you should slowly build a REM sleep habit. Once the habit settles in, you will see the change in no time.

They found that REM sleep facilitated the formation of negative memories. Dreams from REM sleep contained greater amounts of negative emotions and thus, directly played a part in the mood alterations and emotional well-being of depressed patients.

However, REM sleep doesn’t only influence humans but has effects on other species also. Multiple researches have taken place where rats are used as subjects and the effects of REM sleep on them are studied. In such type of study in 2001, Onen, Alloui, and others experimented with the outcomes of REM sleep deprivation on pain sensitivity of rats.

They found that rats deprived of REM sleep have significantly less pain thresholds. They reacted less toward various stimuli imitating pain. In an earlier study done by Hicks in 1978, found that REM sleep deprivation increases the vulnerability to environmental stressors among rats. Moreover, it was Hicks who also stated that REM sleep deprivation plays a direct role in increased behavioral aggression in male rats.

How to form a habit of REM sleep

The deepest layer of sleep can be achieved by gradually forming a routine, like going to bed at a certain time and getting up at a certain time. What this does is, it trains our biological clock when to prepare the body and mind for bed . If this is followed extensively, at a certain stage, our body will have no issues in diving in the deep sleep.

Researchers have found sleep to be vital memory builders. Small naps may help with the tiredness but it is the deep sleep that helps encode the info in our long term memory. Without proper sleep, this process is hindered resulting in inability to remember things correctly.

REM sleep behavior disorder

One of the features of REM sleep is that during this time, the body gets paralyzed. Our body renders motionless while our brain experiences high activity. The reason behind it is that it prevents the body from acting out the dreams.

However, there is a REM sleep behavior disorder where the brain signals responsible for muscular paralysis gets blocked. As a result, random and sudden movements of arms and legs occur. This is quite dangerous as they are the unconscious and puts that person and anyone nearby in harm’s way.

Not only movements, but loud yelling, talking, or crying may also take place. This interrupts sleep and causes disturbances. There might be some underlying medical conditions like sleep disorders, medications, etc. Professional help is recommended for anyone facing such situations.

Bed is our most sought-after place after a long, tiring day. However, just nose-diving into bed and snoring a few minutes later doesn’t guarantee quality sleep. For our well-being, deep REM sleep is a must.

You don’t want to wake up sluggish and feeling lazy, do you? So in order to start your day full of energy and ready to take on new challenges as well as to strengthen your brain cell, you should slowly build a REM sleep habit. Once the habit settles in, you will see the change in no time.

References

Differential Effects of Non-REM and REM Sleep on Memory Consolidation? (Ackermann & Rasch, 2014)

Effects of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep Deprivation on Pain Sensitivity in the Rat (Onen et al., 2001)

REM Sleep Deprivation and Stress Susceptibility in Rats (Hicks & Sawrey, 1978)