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Rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep or REMS) is a unique phase of sleep in mammals (including humans) and birds, characterized by random rapid movement of the eyes, accompanied by low muscle tone throughout the body, and the propensity of the sleeper to dream vividly. The core body and brain temperatures increase during REM sleep and skin ...
Each sleep cycle lasts about 90 to 110 minutes and includes stages that fall into two main phases: non-REM (or NREM) sleep and REM sleep. Non-REM sleep has three sub-stages: light sleep, deep ...
The sleep cycle has proven resistant to systematic alteration by drugs. Although some drugs shorten REM periods, they do not abolish the underlying rhythm. Deliberate REM deprivation shortens the cycle temporarily, as the brain moves into REM sleep more readily (the "REM rebound") in an apparent correction for the deprivation. [13]
REM sleep, also known as paradoxical sleep, represents a smaller portion of total sleep time. It is the main occasion for dreams (or nightmares), and is associated with desynchronized and fast brain waves, eye movements, loss of muscle tone, [18] and suspension of homeostasis. [19] The sleep cycle of alternate NREM and REM sleep takes an ...
All of the following parasomnias can arise during REM sleep: nightmare disorder; isolated sleep paralysis; and REM sleep behavior disorder (the acting out of one's dreams), which can lead to ...
Sleep can follow a physiological or behavioral definition. In the physiological sense, sleep is a state characterized by reversible unconsciousness, special brainwave patterns, sporadic eye movement, loss of muscle tone (possibly with some exceptions; see below regarding the sleep of birds and of aquatic mammals), and a compensatory increase following deprivation of the state, this last known ...
Long story short, every stage of sleep is important. And slow-wave sleep, or stage 3 of non-REM sleep, is especially vital for restorative rest.
During a normal night of sleep, a person will alternate between periods of NREM and REM sleep. Each cycle is approximately 90 minutes long, containing a 20-30 minute bout of REM sleep. [7] NREM sleep consists of sleep stages 1–4, and is where movement can be observed. A person can still move their body when they are in NREM sleep.