How to Get More REM Sleep Naturally?

By LifeFuel Team

Updated: October 15, 2025

Sleeping well is not merely about eight hours a day but about quality sleep and the various stages that make it a great one. To get the best physical and mental health, REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement sleep) is very important. One should learn more about how to increase REM sleep and maintaining healthy sleep patterns as this would help you to have good sleep, wake up refreshed and emotionally balanced.

What is REM Sleep?

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is a resting stage characterised by rapid, random eye movements, vivid dreaming, and brief muscle paralysis. It is also called paradoxical sleep since at this moment your brain is active, almost as if you were awake. The initial REM cycle normally begins approximately 90 minutes after you asleep, and all the stages increase in length as you continue to sleep.

Stages of sleep

Our sleep always occured in two cycles of non-REM (light and deep sleep) and REM sleep cycles. These stages are:

Stage 1: Light sleep, easily wakable.
Stage 2: You will do slow breathing and have a slow heart rate. This will lower your body temperature.
Stage 3 (Deep Sleep): It is the stage where real healing in the body occurs. Our body heals physically and strengthens immunity.

REM Sleep: An important part of the mind which helps in restoring mental functions, and it usually constitutes approximately 20-25% of the total sleep time of an adult.

Why REM Sleep Matters?

The REM sleep benefits are multifold as it affects your physical and mental well-being. This stage is crucial for:

Memory Consolidation and Learning: The memory, your brain is actively working and storing the day in memory.
Emotional Regulation: This allows you to process emotional experiences, and that is important to a stable mood.
Cognitive Function: Strong REM is associated with increased concentration, ability to solve problems and creativity. Spending time in this state is a natural method to have improve sleep quality and wake up fresher the following day.

Role of REM sleep in body and mind

REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement sleep) is crucial in restoring the body and the mind. This is the period when the brain is very active and it is processing memories, learning and also emotions and the body is also going through some of the important restorative activities. The correlation between REM sleep cycles and health makes it easier to understand why quality of sleep should be improved as a way of ensuring good health.

Link Between REM Sleep and Health

Boosts Brain Function & Creativity

Your brain is nearly as active during the REM sleep as when you are awake. This phase summarises all our memories, form new relationships, and enhances our creativity. Also, proper REM sleep improves your brain ability to think and do tasks in daily life.

Cognitive & Emotional Health

As, in cycle of REM sleep, our brain replay all the memories, improves our problem solving skills, and enhances our creativity. This also lead to proper emotional control which porveent mood swings and less anxiety for us. People following stable REM sleep cycles get proper focus, learning, and stable emotions.

Hormonal & Physical Balance

Whereas deep sleep works on muscle repair, REM sleep works in controlling stress hormones such as cortisol, as it boosts deep sleep playing a significant role in growth hormone release and physical repair. It promotes cellular healing and metabolism. One can improve sleep and sleep patterns by adopting better sleep habits and natural sleep tips that may improve sleep levels and balance of the hormones.

Brain Detox & Longevity

The glymphatic system, a waste and toxin clearance mechanism in the brain, is particularly active during deep sleep - promoting long-term brain health. The process contributes to cognitive longevity and could reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. The most important aspect of brain health is in improving sleep stages and having healthy sleep patterns.

Signs You’re Not Getting Enough REM Sleep

Chronic sleep deprivation, which leads to a lack of enough REM sleep may be very evident in some ways. You might have these symptoms if you are having problems with increase rem sleep.

Common symptoms and effects

Lazy and Fatigue: You feel tired and sleepy even after having proper 8 to 9 hours of sleep.
Irritability: Problem in managing emotions and get mood swings often.
Problem with Cognitive Dysfunction: Difficulties will be faced in attention, memory, and other problem-solving tasks.
Procrastination: An overall sense of sleepiness and boredom will make your tasks late.

Long-term health concerns

Improper REM sleep daily can result in many health problems, like:

Increased chances of heart diseases and blood pressure issues.
Weak immune system making you more vulnerable to infections.
Very high chances of getting neurodegenerative diseases.

Tips to Get More REM Sleep

To get more REM sleep, one should improve sleep quality. The following natural sleep tips should assist you to improve sleep quality.

Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule

Your body works on routine. Getting up and going to bed at the same time each day can also help to keep your circadian rhythm -that inner clock that dictates the REM sleep cycles in check. You will feel sleepy everyday at that same time when you follow same schedule with consistency.

Optimize Your Bedroom Environment

A peaceful sleeping environment gives better sleep habits and REM sleep. Have your room temperature around (about 18–20°C), dark and quiet. The lack of electronic distractions, blackout curtains and comfortable bedding can make the environment ideal to get boost deep sleep and enhancing dream sleep.

Limit Caffeine and Alcohol

Caffeine as well as alcohol may disrupt sleep phases, in particular REM sleep. Caffeine can remain in your body anywhere up 8 hours, postponing deep sleep. Alcohol can impact REM sleep cycles which will make you to feel drowsy in the morning.

Avoid Heavy Meals Before Bed

Eating when you are tired can interfere with digestion and complicate the process of allowing your body to fall into a deep and REM sleep. Foods with a lot of fat or spicy foods raise the rate of heartbeat and body temperature, so that they cannot sleep well.

Eat light snacks such as bananas, oats or warm milk, they help to maintain overall sleep quality that can contribute positively to the quality of REM sleep in the long run.

Reduce Screen Time at Night

Blue light disturbed production of melatonin. This is why we should avoid the use of tablets, phones and TVs before bed. One of the best natural sleep tips is that before going to sleep, stop using the screen for 30 to 60 minutes. Or you can use blue-light filters to get proper sleep and enhance dream sleep.

Practice Relaxation Techniques

A natural state of rest helps in activating parasympathetic nervous system. Such practices are like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing, will help to relieve stress and enter a healthy sleep pattern.

Always be strict with your sleeping time as this would better sleep habits and help to improve sleep stages naturally.

Exercise Regularly (at the Right Time)

Doing physical workout on daily basis will improve blood circulation, reduce stress, and improves quality of sleep. But one should keep this in mind that hard workout right before the bed will surely overstimulate the body and postpone REM sleep.

Follow a Bedtime Routine

An unwinding bedtime routine tells your body it is time to sleep. A great method of day to night transition is reading, journaling or light stretching. The habit normalises your sleep phases and helps to maintain healthy sleep patterns.

Stick to the routine - even little rituals can work to enhance deep sleep and improve the quality of the REM sleep cycles.

Manage Stress Effectively

Prolong stress which lead to high level of cortisol. This can directly disturbs REM sleep. There are some techniques to manage stress like breathing, gratitude journaling, or other progressive muscle relaxation, can be used.

When you improve sleep quality and by controlling stress, you will have more lively dreams and increased energy in the mornings - some of the indications of improved dream sleep.

Use Natural Sleep Supplements

There are suggested supplements that can help improve REM sleep as a natural sleep tips. As, Magnesium, L-theanine, and melatonin help to sleep. Also, the main purpose of melatonin is to induce sleep and synchronise the circadian rhythm.

Such supplements can assist you sleep better or enable you to wake less during the night, which might in a roundabout way enhance the REM sleep in the long term. Use under the supervision of a medical practitioner to prevent overdose and overuse.

Lifestyle Changes for Long-Term REM Sleep

To get long-term restorative sleep, the kind of sleep that involves your getting as much time as possible in the REM form, you need not merely a quick solution; you need to have long-term healthy sleep patterns. You can increase REM sleep and sleep quality naturally by employing holistic daily practices.

Diet and hydration balance

Nutrient rich food: Diet should be rich in magnesium, melatonin, and tryptophan. Consume foods like nuts, spinach, kiwis and dairy products as they ensure a deep sleep and natural regulation of sleep cycle.
Proper level of blood sugar: Consuming complex carbohydrates and fibre helps in maintaining stable blood sugar overnight. And, no such disturbed REM sleep is seen.
Stay hydrated: Staying hydrated all day will make you active and prevent cramps. But also take a very limited amount of fluids before going to bed so as to have proper sleep stages and enhance dream sleep.

Mindfulness and breathing practices

Relaxed mind: Always follow healthy sleep patterns like practice meditation and focused breathing. This will prevent anxiety and disruption of sleep.
Making body calm: Exercises like deep breathing will trigger our parasympathetic nervous system. This would lower the stress and prepare the body for sleep.
Cortisol reduced: Cortisol is often called as stress hormone, and these practices will make its level lower. This would promote the production of melatonin and lead to better REM sleep.
Less disturbed sleep: Practising these techniques will make you fall asleep faster and longer, which will lead to proper REM cycles.

Also, perform exercises like the 4-7-8 breathing exercise or 5–10 minutes of meditation before you sleep. As this would give better sleep.

Importance of regular bedtime routines

In maintaining your circadian rhythm, consistency is the only key. As it will help in deciding the timing of your sleep. This is how ot works:

Following healthy sleep patterns with consistently improves REM sleep. This will make your brain easy to get into deep sleep and enhance sleep quality.
A predictable winding-down process reduces brain stimulation and acts as a reminder to your brain that time to take a break. This can increase your time to fall asleep and increase REM sleep cycle timing.
Proper sleep reduces cortisol level. This would lead to increased melatonin production. This boost deep sleep and enhance dream sleep.
On weekends, when we changes our healthy sleep patterns, this would lead to disturbed rem sleep benefits. And you will experience less referrshing after sleep.

When to Seek Professional Help?

Although most people can greatly improve their REM sleep with lifestyle changes, constant problems with sleep can be symptomatic of some underlying condition.

Sleep disorders and medical advice

Sleep disorders like insomnia or sleep apnea may be exhibited in case you frequently have problems with sleeping, you feel too sleepy during the day, or someone tells you that you snore heavily or that you are a stop-and-go breathing person. Medical advice and treatment can be obtained from a healthcare professional or a sleep specialist.

Role of sleep studies

There is a sleeping test (polysomnography) which records your brain waves, heart rate, breathing, and movement during sleep. This will give a clear picture of your REM sleep cycles and your general sleep structure. This objective information plays a critical role in making the right diagnosis.

Conclusion

It is not just about getting more sleep but rather making a lifestyle of taking in more and more out of your REM sleep cycles to ensure that you are getting the most restorative sleep possible.

Through these tested tips on natural sleep and through the determination to make better sleep habits, it is possible to understand the full REM sleep benefits in terms of cognitive and physical rest and be in a position to improve sleep quality and have a refreshing sleep cycle.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours of REM sleep do adults need?

Normal adults require approximately 20-25% of their total sleep time in REM. With the recommendation, almost 8 to 9 hours of sleep is essential. As with this, time for REM sleep is around 1.5- 2.25 hours each night.

Can naps improve REM sleep?

Light sleep is normally emphasised in a brief power nap (20-30 minutes). Whereas, short naps don't include any REM sleep benefits. Also, too many naps in the daytime can disrupt the REM sleep cycle at night.

Does dreaming mean I’m in REM sleep?

Although the majority of vivid dreaming takes place in REM sleep, one may sleep and dream in other sleep stages. But the most interesting and unforgettable dreams are a characteristic of optimising sleep in the REM phase.

What foods help with REM sleep?

Foods with high level of magnesium, tryptophan and melatonin will help with REM sleep. They are like kiwi, spinach, nuts and dairy products.

Does age affect REM sleep?

Yes. It is seen that with age, the time for REM sleep declines. It will also affect our memory and emotions.

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