User:Fmei00/Sleep

Dreaming occurs in both REM and non REM sleep. In REM sleep, the dreamer is often associated as the hero, the protagonist, or the main character in the "story". In non-REM sleep, it's more as if the dreamer is a far away detached person that sees everything that is going on, but is not interacting directly in it. However, the description of non-REM sleep may not be completely accurate. 90-95% of those who wake up in the middle of REM sleep will report that they have had a dream, but only 5-10% of those waking up in the middle of non-REM sleep will report they've had a dream.

Although dreaming occurs in both REM and non-REM sleep, studies have shown that illness, depression, and erosion of consciousness is associated with loss of REM sleep. Ever since 1964, there were hints that a lack of sleep correlates directly with mortality rate, with people sleeping 7 hours with shortest mortality rates, and ones sleeping both too much and too little have the highest. Another study published in 2020 has further backed that. The study is set in Qatar, there is a high prevalence of people lacking sleep, having 54% of the population sleeping less than 7 hours a day, and this was directly in line with poor health, obesity, and chronic illness. And an earlier research surrounding lab rats has shown that being 72 hours deprived of REM sleep lead to inflammatory response, and this same inflammatory response was found in healthy male volunteers. Loss of sleep in general can lead to increased sensitivity to pain, increased risk for obesity, memory difficulties, dementia, Alzheimers[links]. These risks pertain to sleep loss but may also apply to loss of dreaming, as it is very hard to differentiate the two. However, for loss of dream and REM dreaming specifically, an increase in depression was linked.

REM sleep is likely valuable to the body, so drugs and substances decreasing REM dreaming and sleeping in general are will link to the said negative effects. To increase and promote REM dreaming, sleep times should be regulated normally. Studies have shown that the body will choose to sleep rather than dream, so having the recommended 7 hours of sleep will ensure the body gets enough time to rest, and to dream[link].