A Reduction in REM Sleep Could Increase Mortality Rate Among Adults, Study Suggests

Sleep is an important part of good health so that humans can function well during waking hours. More so, having a deep sleep that the body needs revitalizes it during the night.

The body goes through various sleep cycles, and each one of them is important to the mind and body. REM sleep is especially fascinating as it increases brain activity, promotes learning, and it is when dreams were created.

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A Reduction in REM Sleep Could Increase Mortality Rate Among Adults, Study Suggests

However, a new study suggests that too little of REM sleep may shorten a person's life. The researchers report that in every 5% reduction in REM sleep, the mortality rate among older and middle-aged adults increases by 13% to 17%.

Decreased REM sleep linked to death

Lead researcher Eileen Leary, a senior manager of clinical research at Stanford University, said that numerous studies had linked insufficient sleep with significant health problems. However, a lot of people still ignore these and do not allow themselves to get adequate sleep.

"In our busy, fast-paced lives, sleep can feel like a time-consuming nuisance," says Leary. "This study found in two independent cohorts that lower levels of REM sleep was associated with higher rates of mortality."

How REM sleep is linked to increased risk of death is not known, said Leary. Additionally, this study also could not prove that poor REM causes death. It only said that poor REM is associated with an increased risk of dying early.

Furthermore, Leary also noted that REM's function is still not well understood, but knowing that lesser REM sleep is associated with higher mortality rates adds a piece to the puzzle. It is still early to make recommendations, however, for improving REM sleep based on their study.

Leary and her colleagues included 2,600 men in the study, with an average age of 76. These men were followed for a median of 12 years. Additionally, the researchers also collected data on almost 1,400 men and women with an average age of 52. They were part of another study who were followed for a median of 21 years.

They found that REM sleep was associated with early death from any cause such as cardiovascular disorders and other diseases. The two groups have shown that decrease REM sleep links to higher mortality.

Quality over quantity: Right balance of sleep is important

Earlier stages mainly focus on the total hours of sleep and have shown that lacking total sleep time and too much of it can shorten someone's life, according to associate professor of neurology Dr. Michael Jaffee of the University of Florida.

"When we sleep, we go through different stages to include REM sleep. REM describes our eye movements during this stage and is also the state associated with when we have dreams," says Dr. Jaffee.

Therefore, the quality of sleep is more important than its quantity. Assuring the right balance of the different sleep stages is important to get the benefits of sleeping fully.

Furthermore, the study that was published in JAMA Neurology opens up additional avenues for future research to identify the focus of treatments that affect the sleep stage balance and the total sleep.