Definition

Noun: 1. A recurring sleep state during which dreaming occurs; a state of rapidly shifting eye movements during sleep: This is a specific stage of the sleep cycle characterized by quick, random movements of the eyes, increased brain activity, muscle paralysis, and is the period most associated with vivid dreaming.

Usage

• Rapid eye movement is a scientific term used primarily in the fields of sleep science, psychology, and medicine.
• It is often abbreviated as REM.
• It is commonly used in phrases like "REM sleep" or the "REM stage" to describe this particular phase of sleep.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Most dreaming occurs during rapid eye movement.
  • The sleep study showed that the patient entered rapid eye movement approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep.
  • A full sleep cycle includes both non-REM and rapid eye movement stages.

Advanced Usage

• "REM sleep": The sleep period during which rapid eye movement occurs.
  • Interrupting REM sleep can lead to feelings of grogginess.
• "REM rebound": The phenomenon where a person experiences increased duration and intensity of REM sleep after a period of REM deprivation.
  • After staying awake for two nights, he experienced significant REM rebound.

Variants and Related Words

• REM (noun): The standard abbreviation for "rapid eye movement."
  • The baby spent a large portion of the night in REM.
• Non-REM (noun): Refers to the collective sleep stages (N1, N2, N3) that are not characterized by rapid eye movement.
  • Deep, restorative sleep typically happens during non-REM stages.

Synonyms

• REM sleep (noun): The sleep state itself.
• Paradoxical sleep (noun): An older term for REM sleep, referring to the paradox of a sleeping brain with wake-like activity.
• Desynchronized sleep (noun): Another term highlighting the brainwave patterns during this stage.

Related Phrases

• "Enter REM": To begin the REM sleep stage.
  • It usually takes about an hour and a half to enter REM.
• "REM atonia": The muscle paralysis (atonia) that occurs during REM sleep to prevent acting out dreams.
  • REM atonia is a protective mechanism.

Noun

1. a recurring sleep state during which dreaming occurs; a state of rapidly shifting eye movements during sleep