The relative proportion of REM sleep varies greatly with age, and the brain is also developing and growing rapidly during REM sleep, so more than 80% of the sleep time of newborns is REM sleep. This also explains why babies need more sleep time, as they need more REM sleep to promote brain development.
As we age, the proportion of REM sleep gradually decreases, and adults only sleep about 20% of the total sleep time. Older adults have a lower percentage of REM sleep, only about 10%.
In addition to age factors, emotional state and physical health can also affect the proportion of REM sleep.
If people feel stressed and nervous, they experience more REM sleep, which is why some people have nightmares when they experience stress.
Conversely, if people are unwell or under the influence of medication, their REM sleep time may be reduced. This is also the reason why some people experience a decrease in sleep quality after taking sleeping pills.
Resources
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[3] Winer JR, Deters KD, Kennedy G, et al. Association of Short and Long Sleep Duration With Amyloid-β Burden and Cognition in Aging [published online ahead of print, 2021 Aug 30]. JAMA Neurol. 2021;10.1001/jamaneurol.2021.2876.
[4] Shi G, Wu D, Ptáček LJ, Fu YH. Human genetics and sleep behavior. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2017 Jun;44:43-49. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2017.02.015. Epub 2017 Mar 16. PMID: 28325617; PMCID: PMC5511083.
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