A recent study published in PLOS One has found that REM (rapid eye movement) sleep may significantly lower the risk of developing various health conditions. Analyzing sleep and health data from 95,559 individuals, researchers discovered that more time spent in REM sleep was associated with a reduced likelihood of 83 diseases, including heart failure, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease. Other sleep stages, particularly deep sleep, were also linked to fewer health issues, albeit to a lesser extent.
Read More
REM sleep is characterized by increased brain activity, varied heart rate, and rapid eye movements, with dreams commonly occurring during this stage. As noted by Harvard Health, muscles in the limbs become temporarily paralyzed during REM sleep to prevent acting out dreams.
The study compared seven days of sleep data, collected via tracking devices, with disease incidences recorded about nine years later. Researchers identified 156 disease occurrences associated with variations in sleep patterns, underscoring the potential health risks tied to sleep quality.
Additionally, the research indicated that greater sleep irregularity correlated with increased chances of issues such as abdominal pain and anxiety. Individuals who woke up frequently at night were more likely to develop six different ailments, including osteoarthritis. Notably, getting between six and eight hours of sleep each night was linked to a lower risk of 69 diseases, whereas those sleeping fewer than five hours faced a higher risk of 37 health conditions.
The authors emphasized that their findings highlight the importance of both sleep architecture and duration in disease risk assessment, although they noted that these results reflect associations rather than definitive causation. They also acknowledged the potential for “reverse causation,” where health conditions might detrimentally impact sleep patterns.
Dr. Greg Elder from Northumbria University pointed out the limitations of sleep tracking devices, which may not accurately determine the specific sleep stage. He endorsed the quality of the research for its focus on objective sleep data and stressed the importance of maintaining a regular sleep pattern for overall health.
Dr. Nina Rzechorzek from the University of Cambridge added that the findings support the idea of sleep patterns being useful indicators of future disease risk, but cautioned that simply increasing REM or deep sleep may not directly prevent disease.