Support NeoGAF

[MrAngryFace]

Im wondering what is required to hit this state. Are there ways to naturally induce it? Just last night I actually slept for 3 hours, hit REM, then slept 4 hours and hit REM again. Lately in general ive been able to hit REM within even 2 hour naps. Is that my body adjusting to my unique sleep demands or something?

 

[DarienA]

Im wondering what is required to hit this state. Are there ways to naturally induce it? Just last night I actually slept for 3 hours, hit REM, then slept 4 hours and hit REM again. Lately in general ive been able to hit REM within even 2 hour naps. Is that my body adjusting to my unique sleep demands or something?

Get older. Generally speaking older folks enter REM quicker and stay in it longer. I haven't heard of ways to induce it but you should always try to follow the common advice in terms of preparing to sleep well, spend a few minutes relaxing before you go to sleep, try to resolve/let go of any stress situations from the day, etc.

 

[MrAngryFace]

Wow, didnt know about that Older stuff.

 

[B'z-chan]

I've freaked a few people out doing that cause i'll fall asleep in places and just drop into REM. Its funny how some people jump away from you and wake you at the same time.

 

[DarienA]

Wow, didnt know about that Older stuff.

A few other facts about Rem sleep that you may or may not know.

You of course have multiple REM sleeps, they can last anywhere from a few minutes, to much, much longer.

Everyone REM sleeps and dreams, however;

Someone who is woke up during REM sleep has a MUCH higher chance of remembering the dream as oppose to someone woke up later. (I myself almost never remember my dreams these days, which means near the end of my sleep I'm doing much more non-REM sleep).

IIRC they level of brain activity during REM sleep approaches that of an "awake" person. I think that's the case but I can't remember, it's been awhile since I was really in to this stuff.

Babies have a higher percentage of REM sleep of course... because they sleep more.

 

[Bobety]

IIRC you usually go into REM after about 90 minutes of sleep, and the REM sessions get longer throughout the night

 

[Tritroid]

Can someone explain what REM is exactly? Is it just a point where the eyes move during sleep?

 

[DarienA]

IIRC you usually go into REM after about 90 minutes of sleep, and the REM sessions get longer throughout the night

Yes, first one can be up to 10 min, last one can be up to an hour.

Can someone explain what REM is exactly? Is it just a point where the eyes move during sleep?

http://www.sleepdisorderchannel.net/stages/

Stage 5, REM
REM sleep is distinguishable from NREM sleep by changes in physiological states, including its characteristic rapid eye movements. However, polysomnograms show wave patterns in REM to be similar to Stage 1 sleep. In normal sleep (in people without disorders of sleep-wake patterns or REM behavior disorder), heart rate and respiration speed up and become erratic, while the face, fingers, and legs may twitch. Intense dreaming occurs during REM sleep as a result of heightened cerebral activity, but paralysis occurs simultaneously in the major voluntary muscle groups, including the submental muscles (muscles of the chin and neck). Because REM is a mixture of encephalic (brain) states of excitement and muscular immobility, it is sometimes called paradoxical sleep. It is generally thought that REM-associated muscle paralysis is meant to keep the body from acting out the dreams that occur during this intensely cerebral stage. The first period of REM typically lasts 10 minutes, with each recurring REM stage lengthening, and the final one lasting an hour.

 

[MrAngryFace]

So I could be hitting REM right before I wake up during my naps, and REMing for only a few minutes? Ive had some of the longest dreams ever, but I guess time is relative anyway.

 

[Willco]

So I could be hitting REM right before I wake up during my naps, and REMing for only a few minutes? Ive had some of the longest dreams ever, but I guess time is relative anyway.

Even though a dream may seem long, it might really be a few minutes. Your sense of time is so screwy when you're asleep.

I remember taking a nap and dreaming for what seemed like forever, waking up thinking, "Oh no, I slept away the entire afternoon!" and finding out I was sleep for a little over an hour.

 

[kevm3]

Jeez.. what the hell am I still doing up? it's 8:20 and I couldn't/haven't been to sleep yet and I have class at 9:30.

*sighs

shit... maybe I need to stop all computer activity 2 hours before bedtime.

 

[Tritroid]

I must not have hardly any REM periods when I sleep then, because I'm one of those people that have natural alarm clocks built in.

Let's say I need to wake up at 7:30 one morning, and I usually get up at 9:00. If I tell myself that I need to get up at 7:30, I can do it without the aid of an alarm. Usually I can even get up just a few minutes before the time I'm meant to get up. It's really wierd and I can't explain how I do it. I do dream though, but it's really really rare, and when I do they're usually really long. Mostly on days when I can sleep in.

 

[rs7k]

MAF, try melatonin supplements.

 

[Pimpwerx]

I don't remember my dreams much when I'm smoking regularly. When I stop, I have the best dreams. Isn't REM sleep supposed to be the time when your body actually "recharges" itself? I mean, isn't it supposed to be what gives you the most rest? I know it sounds wierd, but I thought I read that years ago. PEACE.

 

[Zaptruder]

I've had some pretty trippy dreams through out the years.

But alot of it has just been expressions of intense desires that I have. Others include 'nightmares' although rather than disturbing I find those 'nightmares' quite enjoyable. Or maybe they were just extra trippy dreams.

I also remember the REM of around the first time I had a wet dream... not much of it though.

 

[White Man]

MAF, try melatonin supplements.

I don't see why he should. He's not complaining about anything. Melatonin always screws with my sleep schedule when I use it more than twice a week. Sometimes I really need it, though. There are times when I need to go to sleep without taking a tranquilizer, and melatonin's sleep feels much more natural than the stuff you get off typical dimen/diphenhydrinate/meclizine-based sleeping pills.

And I've never had significant dream-improvements with melatonin. Among the popular dream-enhancing supplements, the only one I've had regular luck with is DMAE. While the claims of it making you smarter are most likely BS, there definitely are a few mental effects. It also made me stop stuttering. I just wish I could afford it. Like 30 bucks for a month's supply is not a luxury I could afford right now.