by Lela Altman

Apologies, this blog post is not about the awesome 80’s band, the Eurythmics. Nor is it about REM - the band fronted by Michael Stipe, though I am obsessed with “Night Swimming” off their Automatic For the People record. No, today, we’re exploring a topic just as important - SLEEP, with an emphasis on understanding REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and its importance.

You are probably already aware that adequate, consistent, restful sleep is one of the best ways to improve your mental health. However, for so many, it’s not always the easiest way to improve mental health. Because, if you’ve ever had trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or even sleeping too much, you know that quality sleep is hard to achieve all the time. You may also know that when you’re consistently experiencing sleep deprivation, you are more likely to notice increased stress during the day, a lack of focus and clarity, and a slower ability to make decisions, all culminating with a possible “nightcap” of anxiety regarding sleep. Let’s examine why this happens.

The average adult needs a minimum of seven hours of sleep each night in order to feel rested and alert for the day, to be able to regulate mood and emotions, and to be able to concentrate on tasks. While seven hours is average, some people need a little less and some a bit more. Keeping a sleep diary can help you find your magic number. But why seven hours? It’s all about the sleep cycle and getting several rounds of REM sleep each night.

The sleep cycle has four stages. A full sleep cycle lasts about 90-110 minutes and includes light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep. For the average adult sleeping seven hours, about 75% of the sleep cycle is non-REM sleep and about 25% is REM sleep.

A sleep cycle looks like this:

• Stage 1: (1-7 minutes) light sleep, easily awakened, may have muscle twitches, which may at times jerk you to awake state.

• Stage 2: (10-25 minutes) The mind disengages from outside stimuli. Breathing and heart rate slow. Eye movement ceases and body temperature drops.

• Stage 3: (20-40 minutes) Deep sleep – also known as slow-wave sleep. Body temperature, blood pressure, breathing rate and heart rate slow. The body becomes motionless as it relaxes. An increased blood supply is generated for the repair and growth of cells.

• REM sleep: (10-60 minutes) This is when the day’s events get processed in the brain. Deep insights may occur, and problem-solving skills are honed as the brain strategizes and processes what it knows and has experienced. Memories are consolidated leaving more room for the ability to learn and process new information and emotions during wakefulness. Also, blood pressure and heart rate go up slightly and eye movement occurs while atonia (limb paralysis) also takes place.

It’s important to understand that the first sleep cycle of the night typically contains the shortest amount of REM time of the night, sometimes just a few minutes. As the body goes through each sleep cycle, the REM experiences lengthen, sometimes to over an hour. This may explain why we often wake up with images of our lengthy dream still lingering in our heads. (When this happens, writing down the thoughts and fragments can be helpful as you are literally still processing them.)

Of course, we’ve all heard people boast about how little sleep they need – “Four or five hours is plenty for me!” they proudly declare. However, by examining the math of the sleep cycle, we know that a person who sleeps for only four hours will experience about two full sleep cycles, with an accumulation of anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes REM sleep. Alternatively, a person sleeping 7.5 hours will likely get 5 full sleep cycles and experience a range of 1.5 to 2.5 hours of REM sleep. If REM is required for processing, problem solving and higher executive function, which person would you chose to fly your plane? Additionally, if REM is required for mood regulation, as it helps to reduce the intensity of negative emotions and to strengthen the ability to enjoy positive emotions, it’s easy to see who might be better equipped to handle work, relationship, and life stressors.

You’ve taken a moment to understand why you need sleep and the role of the sleep cycle and REM sleep. You may wish to take next steps toward improving your sleep.

And I promise to explore that with you in my next blog post.

In the meantime, please check in with me, or another therapist who specializes in sleep issues, for help on how to improve your sleep. And if you’re still wondering about your sleep quality, here’s a quiz to help you determine if you may have a sleep issue. Two or more “yes” answers indicate that you may have a problem with sleep.

• I rely on an alarm clock to wake up on time.

• It’s difficult for me to get out of bed in the morning.

• Most days of the week, I hit the snooze button several times before I get up.

• I feel irritable and stressed throughout the day.

• I have trouble concentrating and forget small things or tasks.

• I “lose my place” in what I’m doing or thinking.

• I often fall asleep while I’m watching TV.

• I often fall asleep after eating or after a small amount of alcohol.

• I often get drowsy while driving.

• I sleep in on weekends to “catch up” on sleep.

References

Blumberg, M. S., Lesku, J. A., Libourel, P.-A., Schmidt, M. H., & Rattenborg, N. C. (2020). What is REM Sleep? Current Biology, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.045 

Peever, J., & Fuller, P. M. (2017). The Biology of REM Sleep. Current Biology, 27(22). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.10.026

Sutton, J. (2023, March 9). Sleep Hygiene Tips: 6 Worksheets for a Healthy Night’s Rest. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/sleep-hygiene-tips/