Cracking the Code of REM Sleep

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, discovered in 1953, remains a mystery to scientists. While it was initially believed that sleep was a passive state, REM sleep shattered that belief. It is now known that REM sleep is a period of rapid eye movements paired with wakefulness-like activity in the brain. While it was once believed that REM sleep was necessary for dreaming, recent studies have shown that it may play a role in thermoregulation and managing the brain's temperature and metabolic activity during sleep. REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a sign that our health may be in trouble, as it has been linked to neurodegenerative disorders.