Jerome Siegel, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at UCLA, notes that REM—whereas essential—is only one element of the bigger sleep image. “I do not suppose you’ll be able to separate REM sleep and sleep normally,” he tells mindbodygreen.
Which means that it is essential to ensure you’re getting sufficient whole sleep every evening earlier than you are worried an excessive amount of about time spent in REM vs. non-REM.
With this in thoughts, researchers have discovered that the primary stage of REM sleep usually begins about 60 to 90 minutes after we go to sleep, and it lasts round 10 minutes. Because the evening goes on, we section out and in of REM cycles, and the time spent in every will get longer and longer. The final stage of REM can stand up to an hour in size, so most of our REM time occurs throughout the again half of our sleep.
The period of time we spend in REM will differ relying on our age, with infants usually spending extra time on this sleep stage than older adults. However typically, Girardin Jean-Louis, Ph.D., professor of inhabitants well being and psychiatry at New York College beforehand informed mbg, “Wholesome sleepers would possibly spend roughly 20% of their sleep time within the REM sleep stage.” Provided that most individuals want between 7-8 hours of sleep an evening, which means round 90 minutes of REM sleep an evening will probably be a candy spot. However once more, it is dependent upon the particular person and their distinctive sleep wants.
Indicators that you just’re not sleeping sufficient—and due to this fact, in all probability not spending sufficient time in REM—embrace issues concentrating and remembering, poor temper, low intercourse drive, lack of vitality, meals cravings, weakened immune operate, hassle shedding weight, and steadiness points.