Hot Heads: Why Mammals Need R.E.M. Sleep

Sleeping fur seals toggle between two brain patterns: one while at sea, the other on land. Researchers suggest that R.E.M. sleep serves to warm the brain.

 REM Sleep: There’s More Behind “Shut-Eye” Than You May Think

For a long time, people thought that sleep was just a dormant state, or just something we had to do to get on with our daily lives. We now know that sleep is a lot more complicated than a passive state, and researchers have shown that sleep has stages that cycle throughout the night. All of them, especially REM sleep, are essential for our health and functioning.

7 Amazing Things You Probably Didn’t Know About REM Sleep

The mysterious phase of deep sleep when our most vivid dreams occur has long fascinated scientists and artists. But it wasn’t until the 1950s that sleep period — also known as rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep — was actually discovered and documented in a lab.

Dreaming (REM Sleep) Improves Your Memory and Performance

“Dreaming (most often in REM sleep) helps consolidate your memories. So what might that mean for you? You will begin to see an improvement in your overall memory and your ability to organize your thoughts, and maybe getting things done.” — Dr. Breus

Exploring the Mystery of REM Sleep

Solving one of the fundamental mysteries about how and why REM sleep occurs may truly be such stuff as dreams are made of.

REM Sleep Cells Linked To Brain Disorders

For some reason, the cells in the REM sleep area are the first to be sickened.

REM Sleep Disorder

The most obvious signs that a person is suffering from REM sleep disorder is that he or she speaks, screams, kicks, walks or grabs objects during sleep.

So That’s Why Our Eyes Dart Around As We Sleep

Scientists have long known that when we enter the phase of sleep in which dreams occur, our eyes dart about rapidly. But what exactly are eyes doing when we experience rapid eye movement (REM) sleep?

What Happens in the Brain During Sleep?

After SWS, REM sleep begins. This mode is bizarre: a dreamer's brain becomes highly active while the body's muscles are paralyzed, and breathing and heart rate become erratic. The purpose of REM sleep remains a biological mystery, despite our growing understanding of its biochemistry and neurobiology.

What the Different Stages of Sleep Actually Mean

Despite the fact that we spend a good third of our lives snoozing, most of us aren’t remotely aware of the fact that at different times of the night, we’re experiencing different stages of sleep.