• REM Sleep and Meditation •

Every day I hear people complain about being tired. Fatigue can totally mess up your day by affecting your mood, energy, efficiency, and ability to handle stress. There are many reasons why someone will wake up in the morning and not feel rested. It all has to deal with lack of REM sleep. REM sleep or rapid eye movement sleep is a normal stage of sleep characterized by the random movement of the eyes. The sleep cycle works in stages, one being deeper than the next. The REM stage is the deepest and most important sleep stage where the most vivid dreams occur. The more REM sleep a person gets in a night, the more rested they feel. Things that keep us from getting that restful sleep could be subliminal pain, worries, alcohol consumption, caffeine, or even watching sports on TV! When our minds are stimulated, we sleep lightly. So one way of getting a deeper sleep is to meditate before going to sleep. This will help you to reach a better sleep pattern. Of course, stay away from those substances that have a negative effect on sleep. Alcohol will turn to sugar and give you a poor night’s rest. Watching sports on TV gets your brain chemistry too pumped and this is why meditation is needed to quiet the mind. A pain tablet before bed can help if you have some physical discomfort. All in all, calming the brain through meditation can help significantly and reduce sleep deprivation by increasing REM sleep.

Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation:
• Need an alarm clock in order to wake up on time.
• Rely on the snooze button.
• Have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning.
• Feel sluggish in the afternoon.
• Get sleepy in meetings, lectures, or warm rooms.
• Get drowsy after heavy meals or when driving.
• Need to nap to get through the day.
• Fall asleep while watching TV or relaxing in the evening.
• Feel the need to sleep in on weekends.
• Fall asleep within five minutes of going to bed.