How to Improve Your Sleep Quality with REM Sleep
You have probably heard the term REM sleep before. But what is it exactly? Why is it important? And how does it influence your overall well-being?
We will find the answers to these questions in this article and more. Keep reading if you want to learn about the REM sleep stage, its significance, and how you can improve your sleep quality.
What is the REM sleep stage?
REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is one of the key stages of our sleep cycle, characterized by vivid dreams, rapid movement of the eyes, and heightened brain activity. During REM sleep, the muscles go limp, and the body experiences a form of paralysis, which happens to prevent us from physically acting out our dreams and hurting ourselves or others in the process.
The REM sleep stage plays a vital role in memory consolidation, emotional processing, and overall cognitive well-being.
Scientists first discovered REM sleep in the 1950s, and they quickly associated it with dreaming. Research has gone a long way since, but there is still much to learn about REM and other stages of sleep and their significance.
What's the difference between REM sleep and NREM sleep?
Our sleep cycle consists of four stages following a strict order, and this cycle repeats multiple times during our nightly sleep. REM sleep is only one of those, the last one to be precise.
Before we go into the REM sleep stage, we go through three other sleep phases.
- N1 sleep stage - When we fall asleep, our body starts to relax, and our brain activity gets slower. If left undisturbed during this phase, one will move to the next sleep stage in a few minutes.
- N2 sleep stage - During this sleep phase, our body's temperature drops, our muscles relax, breathing and heart rate slows down, eye movement stops, and brain activity changes to a slower pattern.
- N3 sleep stage - In this stage, the body relaxes even more, and brain activity follows a delta wave pattern. Research suggests that this stage is crucial for bodily processes and recovery. N3 is typically a very deep sleep phase.
The combination of these three stages makes up what we call NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep.
When we fall asleep, we enter the N1 stage, and after that, during a full sleep cycle, we go through the N2, the N3, and REM stages, in this order. This cycle repeats 4-6 times each night, with the REM stage getting longer with each cycle.
A common misconception is that REM sleep is the most important and restorative stage of sleep, but the truth is that each and all of them plays a vital role in the full sleep cycle.
How much REM sleep do you need?
How much sleep we need in general can differ from person to person, and it's affected by various factors, such as age, lifestyle, medical conditions, and more. The general recommendation for adults is at least 7 hours of sleep daily.
While it can vary from person to person, typically, we spend about 20-25% of our total sleep time in REM sleep. This means around 90-120 minutes of REM sleep each night, the rest being NREM sleep.
What happens if you don't get enough REM sleep?
Experts believe we need more research on the effects of REM sleep deprivation. So far, studies suggest that it might be associated with memory problems and an increased risk of various health issues. However, the connections are not entirely clear yet.
What we know for sure is that sleep deprivation, in general, can have a significant effect on one's overall health. It can lead to cognitive problems, anxiety, depression, excessive daytime sleepiness, and other various health issues.
Some sleep disorders can affect your sleep quality and how much REM sleep you get.
- Sleep apnea - The episodes of breathlessness associated with this condition force your brain to leave REM sleep to readjust your breathing to a normal pattern, leaving you with less REM sleep overall.
- RBD - People with REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder don't experience the same muscle paralysis during REM sleep as everyone else. This leads to intense and sometimes dangerous movements when dreaming, leading to restless sleep and other problems.
- Narcolepsy - Narcolepsy is a sleep condition that causes intense sleep attacks while being awake. In some cases, this leads to cataplexy, a similar loss of muscle tone and function that you would experience during REM sleep. The condition can disrupt REM sleep patterns, cause restless sleep, and decrease your ability to function during the day.
If you haven't got enough sleep lately, and you experience symptoms of sleep deprivation, your body might respond with something called REM rebound. REM rebound is when you stay in the REM sleep stage much longer than usual, which decreases the amount of NREM sleep you get.
How to get more deep sleep?
If you want to increase your sleep quality and avoid the adverse effects of sleep deprivation, there are a few steps you can take to get more deep sleep during the night.
- Keep a strict sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends. If you take naps, make sure that you take them around the same time daily.
- Sleep in a dark and quiet environment. Use blackout curtains and earplugs or white noise if you need to.
- Decrease your alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine intake. Or at least try to avoid these before bedtime.
- Be physically active. Even just 20-30 minutes of light exercise a day can help you sleep better and stay healthier.
- Try to maintain a relaxing bedtime routine. Avoiding screens and stimulating activities before going to bed. Taking a hot bath, reading, or meditating instead can help you fall asleep faster and lead to a more restorative sleep.
- You can enhance sleep quality with sleep patches, herbal teas, and other natural supplements.
- Consult your healthcare provider if you experience symptoms of sleep disorders like sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or restless leg syndrome.
Following the above tips and paying attention to your sleep hygiene can give you more energy during the day and increase your overall health.
The Health Benefits of Taking a Siesta Nap
Siesta nap is a tradition originating from Spain that has gained new traction in our modern world. The concept of the midday nap sounds very intriguing at times when everything is going so fast around us.
What does siesta mean? How to take a siesta nap? How to make the most of your nap time? Is siesta different from other forms of naps? We will find the answers to all of these questions and more in this article.
What is a siesta nap?
The term 'siesta' comes from the Latin word 'sexta', meaning sixth, which refers to the sixth hour after sunrise. People in the sixth hour would take a midday nap to avoid working during the hottest hours and to refresh themselves for the rest of the day.
The practice of siesta dates back to ancient Rome, and it's also practiced in Italy, where they use the term 'riposo'.
Siesta or riposo, midday naps have been a significant cultural phenomenon in many cultures with warmer climates. Back in the day, a big portion of the population worked in agriculture, meaning they were out in the fields. The hours in the early afternoon are the hottest, so they tried to avoid working during that time and took an afternoon siesta instead.
The role of siesta naps in our modern times
Even though siesta nap is a tradition that comes from Spain, it is no longer as widespread there as one might think. Urbanization and much of the workforce transitioning to office jobs made midday naps more of a nuisance than a practical custom. You can still find some small towns where the shops close up for a few hours in the early afternoon, but in bigger cities, people don't typically take siesta naps anymore.
However, that doesn't mean we have to abolish the idea of siesta naps altogether. Scientists believe that taking midday naps can have many health benefits, and it could be a perfect chance to take a little pause in our otherwise fast-paced world.
The benefits of siesta naps
Studies suggest that short naps during the day may bring numerous benefits.
- Refreshed mental capabilities
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Relaxed and improved mood
- Increased alertness
- Boosted cognitive performance
Taking a quick nap during the day can help you reboot your brain, shake off some of the daily stressors, and give you a nice boost. It might also help you feel like you can get a fresh start if the first half of your day doesn't go as planned.
For some people, siesta naps can also help reduce sleep debt accumulated by not sleeping enough at night.
Daytime naps might also be beneficial for those who suffer from some sleep condition that causes excessive daytime sleepiness, such as restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, or sleep apnea. The effectiveness of naps in these cases mostly depends on the specific condition.
Naps could also be a great way to promote relaxation, take a break, reduce daily stress levels, and practice slow living.
The drawbacks of siesta naps
While taking siesta naps has many benefits, some might also experience drawbacks.
To some degree, it comes down to personal preferences and how our body's circadian rhythm works. Some might wake up refreshed after a short nap, while others might experience sleep drunkenness. Some function better by taking daytime naps in addition to a longer nighttime sleep, while others might find it hard to fall asleep at night if they take naps during the day.
Another factor to consider is that some studies suggest that daytime naps might increase the risk of developing certain medical conditions. For older adults, longer naps could make inflammation, depression, and heart issues worse. Middle-aged women who regularly nap for longer than an hour have an increased risk of hypertension.
For older adults and those with heart conditions, it's advisable to consult a doctor about their napping routine.
Other forms of naps
By now, siesta has become synonymous with naptime, in general, but traditionally, siesta time only means a nap during the early afternoon hours. However, you might also come across other forms of naps that you could incorporate into your daily routine.
- Power nap - Power naps are short 10-20 minute naps that one would take during the day to increase productivity and alertness.
- Disco nap - One would typically take a disco nap in the late afternoon before going out for a night of partying with the intention to be able to stay awake longer - hence the name.
- Recovery nap - Also known as replacement naps, recovery naps can be a few hours long, and their purpose is to make up for lost sleep during the night. It can be a lifesaver for shift workers, university students, and parents with babies.
- Coffee nap - A coffee nap is a thrifty technique to increase productivity and alertness during the day. One would take some caffeine - either in the form of a coffee or pills - and then take a 20-30 minute long nap, which aligns with the time the caffeine needs to take effect.
- Proactive nap - If you know that you will have to give up some sleep during the night - because of shift work, a party, waking up early, or taking care of a baby - you could take a proactive nap beforehand to lessen the effects of the shorter night sleep on your body and alertness.
Whatever form of nap you choose, you should always pay attention to your body's feedback. Some people might thrive with shorter naps, others might need longer ones, and some are better off without any.
How to make the most of your nap time
While there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to napping, there are some general guidelines based on scientific research that you could follow to make your naps more effective and get the most benefits out of them.
What time do you take a siesta nap?
Siesta naps are, by definition, taken in the early afternoon hours, but if your schedule requires you to take naps at a different time, you can still choose from other types of naps. The general scientific consensus is that you shouldn't take naps too close to your bedtime, which would be the late afternoon for most, but it might be different for shift workers. Naps taken too close to bedtime can make it harder to fall asleep and mess up your sleep schedule.
How long should a nap be?
Sleep experts typically recommend shorter, 20 to 30 minute naps, as these would give you the benefit of added alertness and refreshed mental capacities without the drawbacks of grogginess or messing with your sleep schedule. Setting an alarm would be a good idea so you don't oversleep. However, if you need to nap to reduce sleep debt because of shift work or parenting a baby, then even a few hours might be okay. The negative effects of sleep deprivation outweigh the cons of making your nap time too long.
Optimize your sleep environment
When taking short naps, you want to make every minute count, so it's best if you can fall asleep quickly. In order to do that, you should block out all distractions. Wearing an eye mask and earplugs or using white noise might be a good idea.
Make sure you wake up energized
When you wake up from your nap, you could enhance the refreshing effects by signaling your body that it's time to get active again. Bright sunlight, stretching, a cup of coffee, and some cold water on your face could help you feel energized and improve awareness.
Be mindful of your sleep schedule
Keeping a consistent sleep schedule is recommended, even for naps. Try to take your naps at the same time every day so your body can get used to it. Also, make sure that your naps are not too close to your regular bedtime because that could make it harder to fall asleep at night.
Don't use naps to get away with untreated sleep disorders
While a good nap can be a lifesaver for people with sleep disorders and decrease the symptoms of those conditions, it's crucial to get proper treatment for those problems. If you have trouble falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, or not getting enough quality sleep, then taking naps might seem like a good way to combat it. However, with some sleep disorders, they might have an adverse effect on the condition. Sleep apnea, narcolepsy, hypersomnia, bruxism, insomnia, and restless legs syndrome are some of the most common sleep disorders that you should be aware of.