We all know that sleep is a vital part of good health and optimal function during our waking hours. As you get your much-needed rest at night, your body actually goes through various sleep cycles.
Each stage of sleep is important and beneficial to your body and mind, but rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is especially fascinating because it increases brain activity, promotes learning, and creates dreams.
However, if you’re not getting adequate sleep, your REM sleep might also be affected. It can trigger a range of issues, from forgetfulness to irritability. These lack of REM sleep symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that your body and mind are not getting the healing they need.
If you want to maintain healthy REM cycles, one of the simplest ways you can do is use a newborn sound machine. In this device, you can play white noise for sleeping, and it will drown out those background noises that hinder you from having quality REM sleep.
Introduction: Beyond Fatigue—Understanding the Critical Role of REM Sleep for Mind and Body
During a typical eight-hour sleep pattern, you spend only around one and a half hours in REM sleep. This stage is sometimes called paradoxical sleep, due to its neurological and respiratory similarities to wakefulness.
In other words, it is the deepest stage of sleep, and incredibly important to maintain healthy brain function in particular.
REM stage is the stage of sleep where your eyes are darting back and forth, or “rapidly moving.” During this phase, blood flow towards the brain is decreased while blood flow to the muscles increases.
It is also said that REM sleep is where 80% of dreaming happens. It takes a while after falling asleep for REM to be attained, and it’s extremely important, particularly for maintaining good brain health.
No matter how long you’re actually sleeping for, without enough REM sleep, you won’t wake up feeling refreshed and revitalized. REM sleep is essential in order to avoid feelings of daytime sleepiness and fatigue, and to ensure maximum concentration and work performance.
REM sleep is also important for repairing and protecting the brain. Without it, pathways through which memories are formed and stored can become damaged. It seems that it is hugely beneficial to brain creativity, too.
Immediately after waking, your brain is “hyper-associative”, meaning you’re likely to perform better at creative problem solving, anagrams, and puzzles.
The Mental Fog: Cognitive and Memory-Related Symptoms of REM Deprivation
Studies have shown that REM sleep deprivation can cause mild psychological disturbances like anxiety, erratic mood swings, low concentration, and even mild hallucinations. Appetite also tends to increase.
Generally, REM sleep deprivation seems to have similar symptoms to sleep deprivation in general. Even if you’re getting enough hours of sleep, if your circadian rhythms are disrupted and REM sleep is prevented, you will not likely feel as well refreshed and rested.
Emotional Volatility: How Insufficient REM Sleep Affects Mood Regulation and Stress Response
Insufficient REM sleep can impact your moods and how you deal with stress, too. Sleep loss can affect your mood, and your mood can affect how much and how well you sleep.
Research shows that people who don’t get enough REM sleep increase in negative moods, which can include anger, frustration, irritability, and sadness, and a decrease in positive moods.
And sleeplessness is often a symptom of mood disorders, like depression and anxiety. It can also raise your risk of having or developing some mood disorders.
Your mood can also affect how well you sleep. Stress and anxiety increase agitation and keep your body aroused, awake, and alert. You might find you can’t switch your brain off, your heart beats faster, and your breathing is quick and shallow.
Daytime Physical Manifestations: Recognizing Exhaustion and Unusual Body Signals
Inadequate REM sleep can lead to a feeling of drowsiness, sleepiness, fatigue, or tiredness. If you can’t stop yawning or have trouble keeping your eyes open throughout the day, you may not be getting the restorative sleep you need at night.
Poor REM sleep quality doesn’t just make you feel tired. Not enough REM sleep for days or months has many negative effects, such as:
- Slower reflexes or delayed reaction times
- Persistent sleepiness throughout the day
- Frequent fatigue even after a full night’s sleep
- Excessive yawning and difficulty keeping eyes open
- Trouble staying alert and focused on tasks
- Occasional headaches or brain fog
- Mild muscle weakness
The Dream Drought: Subtle Signs Related to Changes in Dreaming and Nighttime Experience
Usually, you have 4 to 6 dreams each night, but you forget the vast majority of them. The dream you’re most likely to remember is the one you had just before waking up.
Dreams occur during the REM stage of sleep. According to a study, your ability to make memories is impaired during this stage, and this would explain why we don’t fully remember our dreams.
Missing out on REM sleep could mean missing out on dreams, too. You’ll notice changes in your dream patterns and nighttime experiences when sleep-deprived.
Subtle signs of reduced REM sleep include:
- Fewer or less vivid dreams than usual
- Difficulty remembering dreams upon waking
- Fragmented sleep
- Night sweats or unusual tossing and turning
- A feeling of “unfinished sleep”, even after a full night in bed
Underlying Causes: What Factors (Lifestyle, Health, Medications) Commonly Disrupt Your REM Cycle
The best way to get more REM sleep is to simply get more sleep overall. There are, however, some factors that disrupt normal sleep patterns and reduce total time spent in REM sleep.
A big one is obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that interferes with nighttime breathing and causes individuals to wake up many times throughout the night.
Other factors, such as alcohol, drugs, the use of artificial light at night, and dependency on alarm clocks, interfere with REM sleep as well.
Irregular sleep schedules also disrupt your REM cycle. If you frequently change your bedtime or waking hours, it disrupts your circadian rhythm, impacting your REM cycles. Some antidepressants or stimulants can interfere with it, too.
When to Seek Help: Identifying Severe or Chronic Symptoms That Require Medical Consultation
If you often have trouble sleeping, feel very tired during the day, or find it difficult to function on a daily basis, it is time to seek help. Occasional sleep disruption is common, but persistent or severe issues may indicate an underlying health problem. Talk with your doctor if you experience:
- Extreme daytime fatigue that doesn’t improve with more sleep
- Memory problems or cognitive decline affecting daily life
- Severe mood changes, like depression or anxiety
- Chronic difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Signs of sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or frequent night awakenings
Conclusion: Reclaiming Your Rest—Simple Steps to Prioritize and Increase Your REM Percentage
As we age, the amount of sleep cycle spent in REM sleep drops. Infants spend as much as 50% of their time asleep in REM, while adults only around a third.
And as we age, that can decrease to even lower than 20%. REM sleep is hugely important for mental and physical health, so here are simple steps to prioritize and increase your REM percentage.
- Keep a regular schedule
It’s generally accepted that going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day helps preserve circadian rhythms and allows for better quality REM sleep.
- Have a soothing nighttime routine
Gently signal to your brain that sleep is coming can help it come more easily. Things like having a bath, reading a book, or meditating can act as this sort of signal.
- Avoid alcohol and rich food before bed
Both alcohol and rich food can stop your brain from achieving REM sleep, and can actually make it difficult to fall asleep at all.
- Limit afternoon caffeine
Any caffeine consumed after lunchtime can interfere with the brain’s ability to switch off, and prevent good quality sleep.
- Keep mental health in check
Depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health problems can cause issues with sleeping. Trying to maintain stable moods and meditation can help, although if the problem is truly affecting your sleep and your life, talk to a doctor.
- Get your environment just right
Many environmental factors can inhibit REM sleep, such as noise pollution, light pollution, or an uncomfortable bed. Make sure your environment is one that offers you personal maximum comfort that will help sleep come more easily and be of higher quality.
