Dreaming of better health
REM (rapid eye movement) is a sleep stage that happens four to six times a night. During REM, your body is immobilized, you have rapid eye movement (hence REM) and you dream. If you're sleeping well, it accounts for 20% to 25% of your sleep time.
REM sleep is an essential part of maintaining the health of your brain and body. You see, while you're off on a REM-dream journey, you're consolidating the day's memories, getting your brain's neural connections primed for future learning, managing and decreasing stress, repairing neurons -- and fending off disease, big time!
A new study in PLOS Medicine that tracked the well-being and sleep patterns of 95,000 folks for around nine years found that people who spend more time in REM sleep have a lower risk of 83 medical conditions, including dementia, heart failure, and Parkinson's disease. Getting six to eight hours nightly is optimal for fending off chronic diseases. Sleeping for less than five hours nightly is the riskiest.
So how do you make sure you're sleeping long enough to go through all REM cycles in a night? You need a consistent daily bedtime, avoid daytime naps, go easy on alcohol and caffeine, avoid tobacco, exercise every day (One study found that resistance training is more effective in improving sleep than aerobics), and keep your room cool, dark and gadget-free.
Need more help making restful nights an active part of your active, healthy life? Sign up for free podcasts with me and guest speakers and wellness articles at 4youngevity.com/community.
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at drmikerealage@gmail.com.
(c)2026 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2026 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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