The Real Facts on REM

Not dreaming enough? Here is a tip on how REM sleep can make you a visionary again.

After the body cycles through its first four stages of NERM sleep, generally 90 minutes after sleep onset, it enters the first course of REM sleep. The first period of REM lasts for about ten minutes then you begin the cycle again passing through the four stages of NERM before reentering REM sleep. Each subsequent stage of REM lengthens until the last segment, which may last for up to an hour.

During REM sleep, the eyes move rapidly in different directions, hence, the term rapid eye movement. Heart rate and respiration also speed up and become erratic. Dreaming only occurs during REM as a result of the heightened brain activity in this stage. Paradoxically, during this time your muscles are paralyzed. Most of us think of sleep as dead time yet it is actually an active state during which the brain and body regenerate. For this reason, a good night sleep is essential to a good day’s productivity.


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