Night shift workers, here’s how you can experience REM sleep

With all this talk about circadian rhythm and its importance in leading a well-balanced and healthy life, night shift workers seem to get sidelined the most. These night owls that have to stay up for professional reasons catch up on their daily sleep once the sun rises and everyone else is wide awake. But can they experience REM sleep as effectively as the rest of the world? Indianexpress.com spoke to health experts to find out how they can get the most out of their siesta.

“Yes, people experience REM sleep even in the morning. Regardless of when you go to bed, it follows a sleep cycle pattern that depends on the length and quality of sleep,” said Dr Prashant, consultant pediatrician, Yatharth Super Speciality Hospital, Greater Noida.

“REM sleep is characterised by rapid movements of eyes that suggested brain activity, and it mostly occurs in the initial 90 minutes of sleep. In this phase, brain activity is normal just as it were when awake but the body remains in paralytic state,” said Dr Prashant.

“REM sleep plays a major role in memory consolidation, reducing stress and anxiety, enhances your creativity and problem solving skills,” he further added.

According to Dr Ishu Goyal, Deputy Consultant – Neurology, Sir HN Reliance Hospital, Mumbai, sleep comprises of 6-7 cycles on average and there are various phases in each cycle, like drifting to sleep, NREM (Non rapid eye movement sleep) and REM (rapid eye movement sleep).

“In REM sleep, the brain is actively working to process information received during the day and to form long term and short term memories. REM sleep disorders are seen frequently in degenerative disorders like Parkinson disease and dementia, where it may precede the onset of illness by many years. If a person has insufficient sleep, he may suffer with memory issues, tiredness, fatigue, sleepiness during the day and frequent headaches,” she added.

Dr Goyal suggested making sure that the room should be cool, dark and free from auditory disturbances and the sleep should be continuous.  (Source: Freepik)

What happens when you don’t sleep at night?

Dr Prashant said that skipping sleeping at night leads to an increase in the risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension.

“You can suffer from memory problems, reduced cognitive function, slow reaction time along with a disruption in circadian rhythm leading to indigestion, mood swings. It also suppresses the immune system,” he added.

“Morning sleep cannot compensate for the nocturnal REM sleep because of the inherent hormonal milieu of our body. However, if a person is having night shifts and night time wakefulness is unavoidable, then it is best to ensure that the environment is conducive for a good and uninterrupted sleep,” said Dr Goyal.

Dr Goyal suggested making sure that the room should be cool, dark and free from auditory disturbances and the sleep should be continuous. “Before sleeping, stimulants like caffeine, alcohol, smoking should be avoided as much as possible. Even during night shifts, people should try to take 1-1 and half hour naps to complete the total REM sleep requirement. Any changes in sleep pattern with cognitive changes should be immediately brought to medical attention,” he said.

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