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REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement) has a crucial role in maintaining our mental and physical health as well as our memory. Scientists believe that REM sleep is associated with memory organization and storage, promoting neuroplasticity, learning new abilities, controlling mood, and even how we perceive other people's emotions and react to stressful situations.
We also tend to identify this stage with dream formation. Your brain waves become quick and shallow during this sleep, which involves the lower brain centers, the brainstem, and the thalamus connecting up with the upper cortex. Brain waves during this stage mimic those during alertness, according to EEG scans.
It is not surprising that if you wake up in the middle of a REM cycle, you are more likely to recall the dream you just had since, despite being in the sleep stage, your brain is fully awake.
How Is Sleep Related To Mental Health?
Throughout several sleep phases that make up the sleep cycle, the brain's activity rises and falls. Although general brain activity slows down during NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep, there are brief spurts of energy. This stage is linked to vivid dreaming. Each stage contributes to brain health by facilitating the ramping up and down of activity in various areas of the brain and improving thinking, learning, and memory. Additionally, studies have shown that the brain's activity when we sleep has a significant impact on our emotional and mental well-being.
The brain's ability to interpret emotional information is facilitated by getting enough sleep, particularly REM sleep. It works to analyze and retain ideas and memories when we sleep, and it appears that a lack of sleep is particularly detrimental to the consolidation of emotionally pleasant information. This is linked to mental health illnesses and their severity, including the likelihood of suicidal thoughts or actions, and can affect mood and emotional reactivity.
The conventional belief that sleep issues are a sign of mental health issues is being challenged more and more. It is now apparent that there is a bidirectional link between sleep and mental health, and that sleep issues may both contribute to and be a result of mental health issues.
Reasons Why REM Sleep Is Crucial
The link between sleep and mental health is undeniable. Here are some specific ways in which REM sleep is crucial to our mental health:
1) Memory
REM sleep enables your brain to assimilate new knowledge that it has ingested throughout the day. When information is processed during this stage, it is stored for extended periods of time and aids memory.
2) Dreaming
Most of your dreams happen while you are in this phase of sleep. A widespread misconception regarding sleep is that dreams only happen during this state. Despite this, REM sleep is associated with more vivid dreams than non-REM sleep. Dreaming is not only associated with imagery but also with strengthening neural networks and connections.
3) Focus and productivity
REM sleep lowers stress and helps with focus. It is a period when the brain is strengthening your motor abilities and neural connections, which helps you acquire new skills. This ensures that your body gets all it needs to operate well at work, during exercise, or in the classroom.
4) Health and Wellbeing
Your immune system may suffer if you are unable to obtain enough REM sleep. In fact, it's possible that the body's ability to create new, healthy cells and tissue will also be impeded. Inadequate sleep can also be a factor in diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and cardiac problems.
5) Emotional Intelligence
During REM sleep, your brain analyzes emotions. During this phase, dreams become more vivid and may aid in the processing of emotions. Additionally, the amygdala, the area of the brain responsible for processing emotions, comes to life.
What Effect Does a Lack of REM Sleep Have on Your Mental Health?
Numerous research on both people and animals demonstrates that REM sleep deprivation affects memory development. However, since these two conditions frequently co-occur, memory issues related to REM sleep loss may really be caused by general sleep disturbances. Additionally, research on the few, extremely rare people who do not experience REM sleep reveals that they do not have memory or learning issues. But sleep loss interferes with the brain's ability to create new cells. To further comprehend the impact of sleep deprivation, more research is required.
In general, it's not a good idea to skip sleep. Your immune system, emotions, and other facets of your general health are all impacted by sleep. Sleep deprivation occurs when you don't receive adequate rest. Sleep deprivation symptoms might include:
- Trouble focusing during the day.
- Excessive slumber during the day.
- A lack of awareness or difficulities in memory.
- Chronic sleep deprivation has been associated with diseases including diabetes, depression, obesity, and cardiovascular disease over time.
Takeaway
In general, it's not a good idea to skip sleep. Your immune system, emotions, and other facets of your general health are all impacted by sleep. It may take some trial and error to find the routines and bedroom setup that work best for you, but persevering through the process can help you fall asleep more easily and sleep through the night.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
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