REM sleep

REM sleep or Rapid Eye Movement sleep is a unique phase of sleep in mammals and birds, distinguishable by random/rapid movement of the eyes, accompanied with low muscle tone throughout the body, and the propensity of the sleeper to dream vividly.

Overview

The REM phase in sleep is the portion of sleep when there are rapid eye movements (REMs). Dreams occur during REM sleep. We typically have 3 to 5 periods of REM sleep per night. They occur at intervals of 1-2 hours and are quite variable in length. An episode of REM sleep may last 5 minutes or over an hour. About 20-25% of sleep is REM sleep. If you sleep 7-8 hours a night, perhaps an hour and half of that time, 90 minutes, is REM sleep.

Physiology

REM sleep in adult humans typically occupies 20-25% of total sleep, about 90-120 minutes of a night's sleep. During a normal night of sleep, humans usually experience about four or five periods of REM sleep; they are quite short early in the night and longer toward the end. Many animals and some people tend to wake, or experience a period of very light sleep, for a few minutes after a bout of REM. The relative amount of REM sleep varies considerably with age. A newborn baby spends more than 80% of total sleep time in REM.

REM and dreams

Most memorable dreaming occurs in REM sleep. "REM sleep" is not synonymous with dreaming, but "REM sleep dreaming" is dreaming that occurs in REM sleep.

See also

• Non-rapid eye movement sleep
• Sleep disorder
• Sleep paralysis
• Sleep deprivation
• Sleep cycle

External links

• National Sleep Foundation - What Is REM Sleep?

REM sleep Resources
Latest articles Most recent articles Ongoing trials	Wikipedia