IntroductionDuring REM sleep, signals from the pons area of the brain travel to the thalamus and then from the thalamus to the cerebral cortex. This signal from the pons also affects neurons in the spinal cord. As a result, there is a muscle paralysis, or atonia, that occurs during this type of sleep (NINDS, 2014). REM sleep is the stage of sleep where rapid eye movement happens. Along with rapid eye movement, one’s breathing and heart rate increases. This is the stage of sleep that is often associated with dreaming. REM sleep makes up about twenty percent of the total cycle (Lava, 2013). People who have REM sleep behavior disorder have a problem with the paralysis that occurs during this stage. This causes the possibility of a person to be able to act out dreams. The severity of movement varies between people (Lava, 2031). During REM sleep, a person with REM sleep behavior disorder might only react by twitching while others might punch and kick violently and shouting. While these actions are occurring, the person is still asleep and unaware that they are doing it. |
More information on sleep and sleep cycles can be found here at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stoke
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