What Is Rapid Eye Movement?

As everyday pressures continue to build as we get older the need to enjoy quality sleep grows and many people are now taking an interest in sleeping patterns and asking the question what is rapid eye movement?

REM sleep

Rapid eye movement sleep is otherwise known as REM sleep and is characterised by a flickering of the eyes during sleep. This stage of the sleeping process was discovered in the 1950s and much investigation has continued into why this particular type of sleep is so important. There are two types of REM sleep which are tonic and phasic but they both give the body a chance to rest and in particular the brain.

Do sleeping requirements change with age?

It is interesting to learn that our sleeping patterns and our sleep requirements are very different between birth and in our later years. It has been proven that babies will experience about 80% REM sleep during a typical sleeping pattern whereby older adults may experience anything between 20% and 25%. This therefore gives the impression, something which has been backed up by other scientific investigations, that the brain of a child is very much more active than the brain of an older adult.

Rapid eye movement is directly associated with the activity of neurons in the brain which tend to be more active amongst younger children throughout the night.

Why is rapid eye movement sleep so important?

There are many people who have different views on REM sleep and the benefits which they offer. There are a number of people who basically believe this particular type of sleep allows the brain to rest and recharge for the next day while others believe it is vital to fight off medical conditions such as depression and fatigue. Indeed it has been proven that various memories are consolidated during REM sleep, including procedural thoughts and those associated with work.

Interrupting sleeping patterns

There are many situations where your sleep can be interrupted and you can suddenly wake up without any particular prompting. Thankfully it has been proven that the body is able to accommodate interrupted sleep by extending "rebound sleep" which is another name for rapid eye movement sleeping. It is this ability to adapt to different situations which perfectly illustrates the body's ability to protect itself and also ensure sufficient sleep.

Quality not quantity

There are many people who are adamant they only require a few hours sleep per day to be at their optimum best while others prefer to have anything up to 12 hours sleep. In simple terms, it is not a case of quantity of sleep but quality of sleep which will dictate how you feel, your memory recall and your energy levels. Therefore it is perfectly reasonable to believe that those who are able to drop into a deep REM sleep almost immediately may require significantly less hours sleep than someone who struggles to fall immediately into this specific sleeping pattern.

Conclusion

REM is an integral part of your sleeping pattern and one which is very important as regards to your mood, memory capabilities and your energy levels. It does seem as though the brain does switch off to a certain extent during this particular sleeping stage although once you exit this particular style of rest you may then move towards a "lighter type of sleep" from which you could suddenly awake unexpectedly.