Definition

Noun A recurring sleep state characterized by the absence of rapid eye movements and, typically, the absence of dreaming. This state constitutes the majority of a normal sleep cycle.

Usage

This is a technical term used primarily in the fields of sleep science, medicine, and psychology to describe a specific phase of sleep. It is often abbreviated as NREM.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The first part of the night is dominated by nonrapid eye movement sleep.
  • During nonrapid eye movement, brain waves are slower compared to REM sleep.
  • The study focused on the restorative functions of nonrapid eye movement.

Advanced Usage

• Stages of NREM: Nonrapid eye movement sleep is itself divided into three distinct stages (N1, N2, N3), progressing from light to deep sleep.
  • The transition from stage N2 to stage N3 nonrapid eye movement sleep is marked by the appearance of delta waves.

Variants and Related Words

• NREM (noun): The standard abbreviation for "nonrapid eye movement."
  • NREM sleep is also known as quiet sleep.
• non-REM (adjective/noun): An alternative hyphenated spelling with the same meaning.
  • The non-REM phases are crucial for physical recovery.

Synonyms

• quiet sleep (noun): A descriptive synonym emphasizing the lack of physiological activity seen in REM sleep.
• slow-wave sleep (noun): Specifically refers to the deepest stage (N3) of nonrapid eye movement sleep, characterized by slow brain waves. This is a more specific term.

Antonyms

• rapid eye movement (noun): The sleep state characterized by rapid eye movements and vivid dreaming, often contrasted directly with nonrapid eye movement.
• REM sleep (noun): The common abbreviation for the antonymous sleep state.
• paradoxical sleep (noun): Another term for REM sleep, highlighting its contrasting properties to NREM.

Noun

1. a recurring sleep state during which rapid eye movements do not occur and dreaming does not occur; accounts for about 75% of normal sleep time