Non-rapid Eye Movement Sleep

Non-rapid Eye Movement Sleep

Non-rapid eye movement, or NREM, is, collectively, sleep stages 1–3, previously known as stages 1–4. Rapid eye movement sleep (REM) is not included. There are distinct electroencephalographic and other characteristics seen in each stage. Unlike REM sleep, there is usually little or no eye movement during this stage. Dreaming is rare during NREM sleep, and muscles are not paralyzed as in REM sleep. People who do not go through the sleeping stages properly get stuck in NREM sleep and because muscles are not paralyzed, a person may be able to sleepwalk. In addition, there is a parasympathetic dominance during NREM. During the period of Non-REM sleep, the mindset of a person is more organized. It has been found, through several experiments that low levels of stage 4 sleep are found in about 40-50% of acute and chronic schizophrenics who typically portray abnormal non-rapid eye movement sleep.