Why is the lack of REM sleep so serious and how to address it
Why We Should Not Underestimate the Lack of REM Sleep
Every night, our body goes through several phases of sleep, each with its specific role. One of these is REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement), often overlooked or confused with deep sleep. However, it is the REM phase that plays a crucial role in memory, emotions, creativity, and overall mental health. Lack of REM sleep can have much more serious impacts than most people realize.
What is REM Sleep and Why is it Important?
The REM phase typically occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep and is characterized by high brain activity, dreaming, and temporary muscle paralysis that prevents the body from physically reacting to dreams. The average person goes through several REM sleep cycles each night, with each cycle longer than the previous one. The longest REM phase usually occurs in the early morning and can last up to 45 minutes.
During REM sleep, memory consolidation occurs – the brain sorts, stores, and processes information acquired during the day. At the same time, emotional balance and regeneration of neural connections take place. REM sleep is also closely linked to creative thinking, problem-solving abilities, and mental health. Many psychologists and neuroscientists agree that REM sleep is a kind of "mental cleansing," without which the brain gradually loses its flexibility.
How to Recognize a Lack of REM Phase?
Many people believe that if they sleep long enough – for instance, the recommended 7 to 9 hours – they have nothing to worry about. In reality, the quality of sleep often lags behind its duration. If sleep is interrupted, disturbed by noise, stress, or excessive consumption of stimulants like caffeine or alcohol, it is possible that the body does not fully enter the REM phase.
When the body does not penetrate deeply enough into the REM phase of sleep for a long time, it can start to significantly affect daily functioning. One might notice that their thinking is not as sharp as before – memory starts to falter, concentrating becomes nearly an impossible task, and even simple things suddenly seem like an unsolvable puzzle.
This is compounded by irritability, mood swings without rhyme or reason, and anxieties or feelings of sadness knocking more often than one would like. It's not uncommon for creativity to decrease, which can be quite inconvenient not only at work but also in everyday decision-making. And the most frustrating part? Even if one sleeps for eight hours, they still feel like they've been on a night shift – tired, without energy, without zest.
But it's not just a matter of mental health. Research shows that a long-term lack of REM sleep can increase the risk of cardiovascular problems, weaken the immune system, and contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
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What Can Disrupt REM Sleep?
Modern lifestyle certainly does not benefit the REM phase. Exposure to blue light from phone or computer screens before bed, excessive coffee or energy drink consumption, irregular sleep schedules, and chronic stress – all of these are factors that suppress or shorten REM sleep.
Particularly problematic are some medications, such as SSRI antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which can significantly reduce the length of the REM phase. Alcohol acts similarly – although it may facilitate falling asleep, it disrupts later stages of sleep, including REM.
From a healthy lifestyle perspective, it is important not only to pay attention to how many hours we sleep but also how good that sleep is. It's good to consider what the last hour before bed looks like and whether it creates a suitable environment for deep, restorative sleep.
A Story Highlighting the Importance of REM Sleep
Jana, a thirty-five-year-old graphic designer from Brno, experienced strange states over the past months. Although she regularly went to bed around eleven in the evening and woke up at eight, she constantly felt tired, had difficulty concentrating, and became unreasonably irritable. She often forgot important tasks, which started to affect her work. She visited a doctor, who, after a series of tests, recommended a sleep laboratory. The result? Low REM sleep activity, caused by a combination of stress, evening work with a laptop, and alcohol consumption before bed. After adjusting her lifestyle – establishing an evening routine without screens, limiting alcohol, and meditating – her REM phase significantly extended, and Jana felt like a new person within a few weeks.
How to Naturally Support REM Sleep?
The good news is that optimizing REM sleep doesn't require radical changes. Some measures are simple yet effective:
- Maintain a regular sleep schedule, even on weekends.
- Limit blue light in the evening – use night mode on phones or get blue light-blocking glasses.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine at least 4–6 hours before bed.
- Incorporate evening rituals, such as reading, listening to relaxing music, or gentle stretching.
- Ensure a quiet, dark, and cooler sleeping environment – the ideal bedroom temperature is between 16–19 °C.
- Try meditation or breathing exercises that reduce stress.
- Ensure sufficient magnesium and vitamin B6, which support the production of neurotransmitters responsible for quality sleep.
If the quality of sleep still doesn't improve, it's advisable to seek professional help. There are tests available that can measure what part of the night is occupied by different sleep phases and help uncover possible disorders.
REM Sleep and Its Impact on Daily Performance
Interestingly, REM sleep is not only important for mental well-being but also for physical performance. Athletes who don't get enough sleep have slower muscle recovery, poorer movement coordination, and a higher risk of injury. Similarly, students who "cram" before exams instead of sleeping often have a harder time recalling learned content – precisely because the brain didn't have time to process information during the REM phase.
According to the scientific journal Nature (2013), a direct link was found between the length of REM sleep and the brain's ability to create new creative connections between thoughts. The brain in the REM phase literally reorganizes knowledge and combines it in a new, innovative way. This explains why many famous artists and scientists – like Salvador Dalí or Thomas Edison – strictly monitored the quality of their sleep, with some even trying techniques to intentionally enhance the REM phase.
Changing Attitudes Toward Sleep
It's encouraging that attitudes toward sleep have been changing in recent years. While sleep deprivation was once seen as a sign of diligence and performance, we now know that sleep is foundational to health, just like diet and exercise. And if we want to live a fulfilling, focused, and emotionally stable life, we shouldn't push the REM phase aside.
Ultimately, the quality of REM sleep is a kind of barometer of mental and physical well-being. It's a space where the brain resets, strengthens, and prepares for the next day. Given that REM sleep is sensitive to external influences but also easily influenced by personal habits, it's an area largely under our control. So, it might not hurt to ask a simple question before falling asleep: am I giving my brain enough time to truly rest?
