Table of contents:
- Types of dreams
- NREM dream
- Stage 1: drowsiness
- Stage 2: light sleep
- Stage 3: transition
- Stage 4: deep sleep
- REM sleep
- REM sleep: characteristics
- REM sleep: duration
- Waking up in REM phase
- REM sleep disorder
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Sleep is a concept that refers to both the act and the desire to sleep. It is a normal and recurrent state, in which there is not a total lack of activity, but the ability to perceive and respond to external stimuli decreases. If you want to know the different types of sleep and, especially, REM sleep, keep reading this article from Psychology-Online: REM sleep: what it is, duration and characteristics.
You may also be interested in: Sleep Types and Characteristics Index- Types of dreams
- NREM dream
- REM sleep
- Waking up in REM phase
- REM sleep disorder
Types of dreams
There are two types of sleep, named REM and NREM sleep. The fact that this division exists in two types of dream does not imply that one dream excludes the other, but rather that both coexist, each one appearing in a different temporal part of the dream as a whole. Next, we will see what REM and NREM sleep are, their characteristics and phases.
NREM dream
Regarding the types of sleep, first of all, we find the NREM sleep (from English: non rapid eyes movement ) or NMOR (from Spanish: without rapid eye movements), and also called slow sleep. This type of dream is characterized by having 4 different stages:
Stage 1: drowsiness
It lasts approximately ten minutes and is characterized by being the stage in which drowsiness or numbness appears. In this stage, the presence of muscle tone takes place but there is no presence of eye movements (or they are very slow). In addition, in this stage there is a disappearance of the encephalographic rhythm of the waking and alert state, exactly, it is about the transition between wakefulness and sleep.
Stage 2: light sleep
In this stage light sleep predominates and its duration is approximately 50 minutes. It is characterized by a greater decrease in the EEG rhythm mentioned above, a decrease in heart rate and respiratory rate, muscle tone is still present, and there are no eye movements. In addition, the K complexes appear, which are sharp waves that appear so that the person does not wake up. It is at this stage when the brain shows difficulties to be in contact with the body and, therefore, sometimes the brain sends an impulse to ensure its connection and normal functioning with the body, so that normally people react to this impulse with a sharp movement.
Stage 3: transition
When we enter the third stage is when we begin to go from light sleep to deep sleep, it could be said that it is a transition stage from light to deep sleep, with an approximate duration of between 2 and 3 minutes.
Stage 4: deep sleep
This stage lasts approximately 25 minutes and there is a predominance of deep sleep. The EEG rhythm decreases even more, there is still no eye movement, and muscle tone may decrease excessively or remain, depending on the situation. At this stage, people can perform body movements such as changing posture or tossing and turning in bed. In addition, since it is a deep sleep, as its name shows, people have more difficulties waking up and, at this stage, they do not usually have dreams. It is important to note that in order to detect whether a person has a good or bad quality of sleep, we must focus on this stage, since it is the stage that will allow us to determine it.
REM sleep
The second of the types of dreams is REM sleep (from English: rapid eyes movement ) or MOR (from Spanish: rapid eye movements), and also called paradoxical sleep. What is REM sleep? REM sleep is the type of sleep that appears after the previous stages, that is, after having spent approximately 90 minutes of sleep.
REM sleep: characteristics
During the REM sleep phase, as its name suggests, rapid eye movements are appreciated and, in addition, there is the presence of an electroencephalographic activity reminiscent of the waking state, that is, in this phase the brain shows an activity similar to wakefulness and, therefore, is when dreams appear and where we capture more information about the environment and everything that surrounds us. Thus, it is easier to wake people up when they are in REM sleep.
REM sleep: duration
It should be noted that waking time increases as time passes, so that with age you sleep less and, therefore, there is a decrease in the duration of REM sleep. It is estimated that in total, in a young / adult person, normal sleep function is divided into approximately 6 hours of NREM sleep and approximately 2 hours of REM sleep.
Waking up in REM phase
The REM sleep phase is the one that most closely resembles or is closer to the waking state, therefore, it is common that when people wake up during this phase they are more alert than in other phases, in which it would probably be demonstrated who are in confusional states and with a possible rapid return to sleep.
In this sense, if the person wakes up in REM sleep, they will be able to remember and explain in detail all the possible information about their dreams or nightmares. It is interesting to differentiate nightmares from night terrors, since the content of nightmares can be remembered due to their predominant appearance in the REM phase, on the other hand, the content of night terrors is impossible or very difficult to remember for the person due to its appearance in the NREM phase, specifically in stages 3 and 4.
REM sleep disorder
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a REM sleep behavior disorder can be diagnosed when:
- There are repeated episodes of waking up during sleep associated with vocalization and / or complex motor behaviors.
- When these behaviors occur during REM sleep and therefore typically appear approximately 90 minutes after sleep onset, they are most common during the later parts of the sleep period and rarely occur during daytime naps.
- When the person awakens from these episodes, they are fully awake, alert, and without confusion or disorientation.
- If one or the other of the following characteristics occurs: 1) REM sleep without atony, understanding atony as the disappearance of muscle tone. 2) Background that suggests that there is the presence of a REM sleep behavior disorder and an established diagnosis of synucleinopathy (diseases related to alterations in the synucleins, which is a family of proteins of the nervous system).
- When these behaviors cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
- If the REM sleep disturbance cannot be explained by physiological effects of a substance or other medical condition (medication, drug, etc.).
- When mental and / or medical disorders already diagnosed cannot explain the appearance of these episodes.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to REM sleep: what it is, duration and characteristics, we recommend that you enter our category of Basic Psychology.
Bibliography- Aguirre, RI (2007). Anatomical and physiological bases of sleep . Ecuadorian Journal of Neurology, 15 (2-3).
- American Psychiatric Association. (2014). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. DSM 5. 5th Edition. USA: Panamericana
- Velayos, JL, Moleres, FJ, Irujo, AM, Yllanes, D., and Paternain, B. (2007). Anatomical bases of sleep. Annuals of the Navarra Health System, 30 (1), 7-17.