Dreaming is a part of our DNA and there are specific genes that enable us to dream built into that DNA. They are referred to as Chrm 1 and Chrm 3 (Mitochondrial DNA). Without these specific genes, man would not experience rapid eye movement (REM) sleep necessary for our dreaming sequences.
Note: REM sleep is when most dreaming occurs. Your eyes move rapidly in different directions (almost like you are watching a movie but with your eyes closed) and your heart rate increases while breathing becomes irregular. Rem sleep is actually very important for emotion regulation and memory. It clears the brain of things that aren’t needed and is also the peak time for protein synthesis at the cellular level – which keeps many processes in your body working properly. Your body will actually cycle through REM sleep about 90 minutes after falling to sleep.
Sleep cycles: There are three stages of sleep – plus REM sleep which we process through each and every night – and these occur multiple times. Each cycle lasts, on average, 90 minutes, but some cycles can be as short as 50 minutes – and some can be as long as 100 minutes or more. Think of it this way: Stage 1 is very quick and is when your brain begins to dip into a deep sleep; but you don’t feel like you are sleeping. Stage 2 is what we refer to as light sleep. It is very important because it takes up more than half the night while your body uses this time to process memories and emotions (plus your metabolism is regulating itself). Stage 3 is deep sleep time for the body. The muscles of the body are very relaxed, breathing slows down and the heart ate becomes more regular. The body utilizes this time to rebuild and repair itself and even strengthen your immune system. Note: you are not dreaming at all during stage 3 of sleep.
Let’s recap for a minute:
Stage 1 is that sleep that’s a little more choppy, shallow and not restful. It cycles thru to another cycle in quick transition, so you are not in it for very long. During this stage, we can still hear things and have a sense of awareness. It feels like your brain has dipped into sleep mode, but you don’t feel totally alseep yet.
Stage 2 is when people can be easily awoken. This stage can take up more than half the night. There’s a lot of body maintenance occurring during this lighter stage of sleep and our breathing and heart rate typically decrease slightly.
Stage 3 we become less responsive to outside stimuli. Our breathing slows and our muscles relax – our heart rate usually becomes more regular. This cycle of deep sleep is very much about the body because the thinking parts of the brain are largely offline. Your muscles are very relaxed and you’re not dreaming at all. Deep sleep is when the body secretes growth hormones, which is associated with cellular rebuilding and repair. This is the best time to strengthen your immune system!
REM sleep stage is called rapid eye movement sleep (REM) because that’s exactly what happens. The eyes move from side to side beneath the eyelids and brain activity spikes, nearing wakefulness levels. So does breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. Because the brain is most active in this phase, it’s when vivid dreams occur, but voluntary muscles are temporarily paralyzed so they can’t be acted out.