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REM Sleep Cycles

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REM Sleep Cycles
The brain is very active during REM stages. As the name suggests, the sleeper’s eyes dart about during this stage. Heart rate, breathing rate, and body temperature fluctuate. The mind generates active and vivid dreams and nightmares may occur. Large muscles are essentially paralyzed, preventing a sleeper from acting out their dreams. The face and fingers frequently twitch. The first REM period begins about 90 minutes after falling asleep and lasts for about 10 minutes. Each later REM stage gets longer and can last up to an hour. The processing of memories and images during REM sleep cycles might play a role in building memory and learning processes.

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