The Importance of REM Sleep

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An average person requires at least one hour of sleep for every two hours spent awake. Sleep affects day-to-day life; a person lacking sleep is affected negatively with changes in behavior and physical symptoms. There are many disorders that can alter a person’s sleep pattern; what are they and how can they be treated to ensure safe a balanced sleep? What should be avoided in order to be able to sleep without interruption? Finally, what can be done to make sure REM sleep is achieved. REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is important and must be achieved so that our mind and body aren’t affected. It is important to keep it balanced so that our perspective and participation of daily activities, such as studies and sports, doesn’t shift.
The first question to be addressed is: what is REM sleep? REM is an acronym for Rapid Eye Movement: that is “the stage of sleep that is most associated with dreaming” () It is the fifth of five stages of sleep which is characterized by the rapid and random eye movement of an individual. In addition to eye movement, body temperature is reduced by 1 to 2°F, breathing patterns vary from regular/balanced to irregular when in REM, the heart and blood pressure reduce and brain activity remains active during sleep. As said in the “Characteristics of Sleep” website, sleep is basically a “period of reduced activity” with “decreased responsiveness to external stimuli”( ). All of this explains the nature of sleep, but why do we sleep and why is it important? An average infant from newborn to 2 months old needs at least 12 to 18 hours of sleep; an average child from 3 to 5 years old needs at least 11 to 13 hours of sleep; an average teen from 12 to 18 years old needs at least 8.5 to 10 hours of sleep and an average a...

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"Healthy Sleep." Healthy Sleep. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2013.
Rosen, Marvin. "Insomnia and Sleep Disorders." Sleep and dreaming. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2006. 38-46. Print.
Rosen, Marvin. "Chapter 4-Sleep Reasearch." Sleep and dreaming. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2006. 47-56. Print.
Scott, Elaine, and John Brien. "It's All in Your Head." All about sleep from A to ZZZZ. New York, N.Y.: Viking, 2008. 9-13. Print.
Sweeney, Michael S.. "States of Mind- Brain at Rest." Brain: the complete mind : how it develops, how it works, and how to keep it sharp. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2009. 186-197. Print.

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