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rapid eye movement sleepREM sleep
the period of sleep during which the brain waves are fast and of low voltage, and autonomic activities, such as heart rate and respiration, are irregular. This type of sleep is associated with dreaming, mild involuntary
muscle jerks, and rapid eye movements. It usually occurs three to four times each night, at intervals of 80 to 120 minutes,
with each occurrence lasting from 5 minutes to more than an hour. In adults, about 20 per cent of sleep is REM sleep and 80
per cent is NREM (non–rapid eye movement) sleep. Called also dreaming, fast wave, or paradoxical sleep.
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