Sleep: What Is REM Sleep And Why Is It Important?

For your health, getting a good night's sleep is crucial. In actuality, it's equally essential to both a healthy diet and exercise. Although everyone's needs for sleep are different, the majority of adults need between 7 and 9 hours per night. 

It's crucial that you focus and safeguard your sleep every day because sleep deprivation might jeopardise your health and safety. REM sleep is a very important aspect of getting good sleep. Continue reading as we discuss what REM sleep is and why do we need it.

What is REM sleep?

The brain goes through four stages when you sleep. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is one of them. The eyes are moving quickly in a variety of directions at this time. Within the first 90 minutes of sleep, people usually enter REM sleep. REM sleep occurs multiple times while a person is sleeping while the sleep cycle repeats. The majority of dreams happen during REM sleep. This developmental stage may affect mood, memory, and learning.

Your heart rate increases, your breathing becomes erratic, and your eyeballs move quickly behind your closed eyes during REM sleep. Your brain is quite busy during REM sleep, and your brain waves become more erratic. This is in contrast to other stages of sleep, during which your brain waves settle down. 

Your body functions largely the same way during REM sleep as it does while you're awake, with the exception that your eyes are closed and you temporarily lose muscular tone. This is a protection mechanism, according to research, designed to prevent you from acting out your dreams and hurting yourself. 

Why is REM sleep important?

REM sleep is crucial to the sleep cycle because it activates the parts of the brain that are involved in memory formation and learning. The reason why REM sleep is so crucial is because your brain exercises certain neuronal connections during this stage of sleep, which are essential for your general and mental health. Lack of REM sleep may be harmful to one's physical and mental well-being. Let's understand some of the main benefits of getting REM sleep.

1. Promotes brain development

According to research, REM sleep is crucial for the central nervous system's (CNS) growth during infancy. The brain's intense activity during this stage of sleep may contribute to the formation and fortification of neural connections.

2. Memory consolidation 

Your brain analyses new information and motor skills from the day during REM sleep, committing some to memory, keeping others, and determining which to delete. Deep sleep, which is a non-REM stage of sleep, is also when some memory consolidation occurs.

3. Processed emotions

During REM sleep, your brain processes emotions. In REM sleep, dreams become more vivid and may aid in the processing of emotions. Also, during REM sleep, the amygdala, the area of the brain responsible for processing emotions, comes to life.

4. Vivid dreams

Most of your dreams happen while you're in REM sleep. A widespread misconception regarding sleep is that dreams only happen during the REM stage. Despite this, REM sleep is associated with more vivid dreams than non-REM sleep.

Now that you understand the importance of good REM sleep, take corrective measures today to ensure you get good quantity and quality sleep daily. 

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.