When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, not all rest is created equal. Turns out, there are different types of sleep, with Rapid Eye Movement – more often known as REM sleep – in particular, having an important role in brain health and memory function.
As your health partner, nib is here to help you look after your body and mind. To help you improve your zzzs, we spoke with associate professor Dr Aliza Werner-Seidler, a clinical psychologist at the Black Dog Institute, to help us understand what REM sleep is and share her tips for how we can get more of it.
What is REM sleep?
REM sleep is an important stage of our nightly sleep cycle, where we see rapid movement of the eyes and increased brain activity.
Sleep can be split into two main types – REM sleep and non-REM sleep. REM sleep happens about every 90 minutes during sleep. It’s during REM sleep when you dream more, and your blood pressure and heart rate go up.
REM sleep was first discovered back in the 1950s when scientists studying sleeping infants noticed that there were periods when their eyes moved rapidly from side to side (hence the name).
Meanwhile, non-REM sleep has three stages. The first stage is when you go from being awake to asleep and can be woken up easily. During the next two phases of non-REM sleep, your eye movements stop and you go into a deeper sleep.
“REM sleep is important because it’s when mental restoration takes place,” says Aliza. “It’s essential for keeping your brain in shape and converting short-term memories into long-term ones.”
With one in four Australians saying they aren't satisfied with their sleep, a lack of quality REM sleep could be to blame.
How much REM sleep should you have a night?
According to Aliza, most adults should spend about 20-25% of their total sleep time in REM. “So, if you rest for seven to eight hours per night, the total comes to about 90 minutes of REM sleep,” she explains.
However, infants and young children need more REM sleep because their brains are learning and developing more. Newborn babies, for example, need to spend about half of their sleep time in REM.
What happens if you don't get enough REM sleep?
Not getting enough REM sleep can affect how you function during the day, make you emotionally unstable and hurt your ability to learn and remember things.
“REM sleep is thought to be helpful for strengthening procedural memory,” she explains. “This is the type of memory you use when you learn a new skill, like how to ride a bike. It differs from factual or semantic memory, which you use for something like remembering dates or a list of facts.”
“REM sleep may also help with problem-solving and your long-term memory,” Aliza adds.
How do we know if we are getting enough REM sleep?
REM sleep is linked to your overall sleep, so if you’re not getting enough good-quality sleep in general, then chances are your REM sleep is being impacted.
“Since REM sleep occurs mostly during the second half of the sleep period, sleeping for too short a period may not allow time to complete all the REM sleep cycles,” Aliza explains.
So, the simplest way to improve your REM sleep is to improve your overall sleep.
How to get more REM sleep and improve our sleeping overall
While REM sleep is crucial for your brain’s functioning, deep sleep – the last phase of non-REM sleep – is important for physical recovery, tissue growth, and immune health. So, if you’re experiencing bad sleep, then you could be feeling off both physically and mentally.
While everybody is unique in how our bodies respond, Aliza has four tips for improving overall sleep that have been proven to be effective:
Develop a regular sleep schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on weekends.
If you suffer from conditions that interrupt your sleep, such as sleep apnoea, speak to your doctor about possible treatments to help.
Avoid or cut down on alcohol, caffeine and tobacco. Alcohol can delay when you first enter REM sleep, which means you spend less time in this crucial phase.
Develop good sleep hygiene. This means setting your bedroom and your daily routines up in a way that promotes restful sleep, including regular exercise; maintaining a cool, dark and quiet bedroom environment; establishing a bedtime routine with soothing activities such as reading or taking a warm bath, and avoiding screens for around an hour before your bedtime.
If you’re the type of person who just can’t seem to switch off and go to sleep, Aliza also recommends taking a break from trying to sleep. If you can’t get to sleep after 20 minutes or so, leave your bed and do something else in another room until you feel sleepy enough to return to bed.
Dr Aliza Werner-Seidler is a Scientia associate professor and clinical psychologist at the Black Dog Institute. She has a PhD from the University of New South Wales and has undergone post-doctoral training at Cambridge University. The Black Dog Institute is one of our nib foundation partners.
We’re helping the Black Dog Institute fund the Sleep Ninja app – an evidence-based intervention program to help young people adopt healthy sleep behaviours and improve their wellbeing.
Please note: The information throughout this article serves as broad information and should not replace any advice you have been given by your medical practitioner.
