Mental Health, Sleep, And Dreaming: The Role Of Rapid Eye Movement Sleep

Scientists, philosophers, writers, and other thinkers throughout history have proposed many theories about why we dream. While we still know relatively little about the dreaming process, more and more information is being uncovered about the mechanisms behind it, the REM sleep stage (when dreaming occurs) in general, and the purpose of these sensory experiences. Learning more about dreaming and the REM phase may help you understand the importance of sleep and connect your dreams to your overall mental well-being. Below, we’re providing an overview of the sleep cycle, discussing REM sleep, and outlining the ways dreams may be connected to cognitive and emotional wellness. 

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Exploring the sleep cycle

Understanding sleep patterns can be a helpful foundation for exploring dreams. The sleep cycle refers to a series of sleep stages that vary in terms of wakefulness, brain activity, and physiological state. Humans progress through four phases during a sleep cycle, which are separated into two types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. Each sleep cycle lasts approximately an hour and a half, and we typically experience four to six sleep cycles per night. 

Different phases of the sleep cycle help facilitate the functioning of different body systems. For example, the third stage of sleep, N3, is thought to be important for musculoskeletal function, helping the body repair tissue and develop bone. 

Non-REM sleep

The phases of non-REM sleep include:

• N1: the transition stage, during which we fall asleep. Characterized by light sleep, N1 is the shortest sleep stage. Dreams can occur during N1 sleep, though they are usually forgotten if the individual completes their sleep cycle. 
• N2: The longest of the sleep stages, the N2 phase accounts for 45% of our sleep time. This stage is thought to be important for memory consolidation. 
• N3: In addition to helping with musculoskeletal function, N3—which is the deep sleep stage—helps boost the immune system.

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

The last stage of the cycle is the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stage, which accounts for a further 25% of our sleep time. It is during REM sleep when we tend to have our most vivid dreams. 

The role of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

During REM sleep, the last phase of sleep, a person’s eyes begin to twitch. Like the N2 phase of the sleep cycle, the REM phase is thought to play an important role in memory consolidation. During REM sleep, people tend to awaken more easily than during non-REM. 

The importance of REM sleep

During REM sleep, the brain does away with synaptic connections that are no longer necessary, a process known as synaptic pruning. Getting rid of synapses that were once taking up mental energy allows us to process and store more new information. This is part of the reason the REM stage is crucial to our capacity for learning and memory. 

The brain, REM sleep, and dreaming

The REM stage is a period of high brain activity. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the brain waves produced during REM are similar to those in waking life. It’s thought that the hippocampus helps produce dreams, given its role in memory function. The thalamus is also thought to experience significant activation when we dream. The thalamus helps transmit sensory information to the cortex, which accounts for the visuals and sounds we can experience in our dreams. 

What are dreams?

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), a dream is “a physiologically and psychologically conscious state that occurs during sleep and is often characterized by a rich array of endogenous sensory, motor, emotional, and other experiences.” These experiences often involve vivid mental images, which may follow a narrative. Dreams can evoke strong emotions, make us “hear” sounds, and even cause us to “experience” physical touch. In some cases, individuals can engage in lucid dreaming, during which they are aware they’re dreaming and can—to some extent—control the characteristics of the dream. 

It’s estimated that the average person dreams for two hours per night. However, due to a limited capacity for dream recall, when a person wakes, they typically only remember a small portion of that time. 

Dreams can occur during any stage of the sleep cycle, though they are most common during REM sleep. New research suggests that dreams that occur during the N1 phase of sleep may influence creativity. Dreams that occur during N2 may be more focused on experiences an individual had during the day, known as day residues. Day residues are thought to be more common in the N2 phase than the REM phase, while the opposite is true for dreams about more far-off memories.

How REM sleep and dreaming relate to mental wellness

Many sleep medicine experts believe that dreaming allows us to process our emotions in a safe, relaxed manner. There is evidence that dreaming may help us form less-negative associations with emotional experiences. When we dream during REM sleep, we experience less stress but a significant amount of brain activity related to our emotions and memory. This may provide us with the opportunity to process emotional experiences without stress, creating a less powerful emotional connection to the memory. 

Sleep and dreaming in connection with mental health conditions

According to Harvard Medical School, bad dreams can sometimes be manifestations of mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Many experts believe that dreams are ways for us to express emotions that are difficult to process through waking consciousness. So, in people who experience emotional distress, fluctuations in mood, and other psychological concerns, nightmares may be more frequent. 

Often, these dreams can take on the characteristics of the disorder an individual is experiencing. For example, people living with psychotic symptoms may dream in ways that mirror the disorganized thought they experience when they’re awake. Individuals with anxiety may have nightmares that feature nervousness about a future event, while people with depression may have dreams marked by sadness. 

Theories on dreaming

Humans have long sought to explain why we dream. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that dreams could be interpreted as messages from the divine. Other cultures and civilizations have viewed them as insights into the future. Freud and other proponents of psychoanalytic theory believed that dreams served the purpose of wish fulfillment, helping reveal a person’s desires. 

Today, there are numerous theories of dreams, stemming from approaches based on evolutionary psychology, neurobiology, and several other disciplines. One such theory, the threat simulation theory, proposes that dreams evolved as a way of helping us prepare for threats. According to proponents of this theory, recurring dreams may help us repeatedly replicate threatening conditions so we can anticipate them before they arise in real life. 

Or, consider the activation-synthesis idea, which approaches dreams from a neurobiological, brain basics perspective. According to this theory, dreams do not have meaning but instead arise out of random stimulation via impulses that cause the brain to produce images and other sensory information. Other experts believe that dreaming is a way of keeping cognitive functions active so that when we are awake, we are ready to use our brains.  

How therapy may help you understand your subconscious

If you’d like to connect with a therapist who can help you explore topics related to your sleep cycle, dreams, and psyche, you might consider therapy. A therapist may be able to help you understand symbols in your dreams and address nightmares or other distressing sleep experiences. If you’re having negative dreams as a result of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or depression, they may also help address these underlying conditions.

Exploring dreams and the psyche in online therapy

While therapy can be helpful for many, it isn’t always easy to find a therapist on your own—especially if sleep disruptions are affecting your daily life. With an online therapy platform like BetterHelp, you can get matched with a therapist from a team of qualified mental health providers based on your needs and preferences as outlined in a brief questionnaire. You can then meet with them at times that work for you from anywhere you have an internet connection. Online therapy can also be a more affordable option, as it typically costs less than in-person care without insurance.

Is online therapy effective?

The results of an increasingly large number of studies suggest that online therapy can often help participants address mental health challenges related to sleep disruptions. In a systematic review that included 15 trials and over 2,000 total participants, for instance, researchers suggest that online therapy can lead to reductions in symptoms of both depression and insomnia. The review also notes the ability of online therapy to bridge the treatment gap, given its potential for “disseminating insomnia treatment to a wider audience.”