How Do I Get More Rem Sleep Habits That Help?

Getting more REM sleep starts with protecting your sleep schedule and giving your body the conditions it needs to cycle naturally. REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is the stage where you dream and where your brain consolidates memories and processes emotions. You can increase your REM sleep by keeping a consistent sleep-wake schedule, avoiding alcohol in the evening, and giving yourself enough total sleep time — most adults need 7 to 9 hours to get the REM stages their brains require.

What Is REM Sleep and Why Does It Matter?

REM sleep is one of the four stages your brain cycles through while you sleep. It typically begins about 90 minutes after you fall asleep. The first REM period is short — often just a few minutes. As the night goes on, REM periods get longer, with the longest ones happening in the second half of the night.

During REM, your eyes move rapidly under closed lids, your breathing becomes irregular, and your brain activity looks similar to when you are awake. Most of your dreaming happens during this stage. Your body is temporarily paralyzed during REM, which prevents you from acting out your dreams.

Research consistently shows that REM sleep plays a central role in memory consolidation and emotional processing. The brain uses this time to sort through the day’s experiences, strengthen important neural connections, and file memories into long-term storage. Some studies also link REM sleep to creative problem-solving and mood regulation.

How Do I Get More REM Sleep Habits That Help?

REM sleep is not something you can force directly. You cannot “will” yourself into a dream state. What you can do is build habits that allow your natural sleep cycles to include enough REM.

The single most effective habit is protecting your total sleep time. REM sleep is heavily concentrated in the last third of the night. If you cut your sleep short by even an hour, you often lose a significant portion of your REM sleep. Going to bed early enough to get a full 7 to 9 hours is the foundation of every other REM-boosting habit.

A consistent schedule matters just as much. Your body runs on a circadian rhythm — an internal clock that regulates when you feel sleepy and when you feel alert. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, including weekends, helps your brain anticipate sleep and cycle through stages more predictably.

Does Alcohol Affect REM Sleep?

Yes. Alcohol is one of the most consistent REM suppressors known. Even moderate drinking in the evening reduces the amount of REM sleep you get, particularly in the first half of the night.

Alcohol increases slow-wave (deep) sleep early on, which sounds good but comes at a cost. It delays your first REM period and reduces overall REM duration. As the alcohol metabolizes during the night, sleep becomes lighter and more fragmented. Many people wake up in the early morning hours after drinking and find it hard to get back to sleep.

Cannabis has a similar effect. Research indicates that THC reduces REM sleep, and regular users often report fewer dreams. Stopping cannabis use can lead to a temporary rebound of vivid dreams as the brain catches up on missed REM.

If you want more REM sleep, the clearest change is to avoid alcohol for at least three hours before bed. The closer the drink is to bedtime, the stronger the REM suppression.

What Role Does Sleep Position Play?

Sleep position has a modest but real effect on sleep quality, though its direct impact on REM is less well established. Some research suggests that sleeping on your back may be associated with more REM sleep compared to stomach sleeping. However, the evidence is not strong enough to recommend a specific position for the purpose of increasing REM.

What matters more is comfort and avoiding sleep disruptions. If you wake up frequently during the night, your sleep cycles get interrupted and you lose REM opportunities. Choose a position that keeps you comfortable and minimizes waking. For people with sleep apnea, sleeping on the side often reduces breathing interruptions, which protects all sleep stages including REM.

How Does Sleep Apnea Affect REM Sleep?

Sleep apnea is a condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. It has a particularly strong effect on REM sleep because REM is when your breathing becomes more irregular and your airway muscles relax the most.

People with untreated sleep apnea often spend very little time in REM. The brain wakes them repeatedly to restart breathing, and these arousals prevent them from reaching or staying in REM. If you snore loudly, wake up gasping, or feel exhausted despite spending enough hours in bed, sleep apnea may be reducing your REM sleep.

Treatment for sleep apnea — most commonly CPAP therapy — frequently restores REM sleep. Many people report vivid dreams returning once their breathing is stabilized during sleep. If you suspect sleep apnea, a sleep study is the way to confirm it.

Can Exercise Increase REM Sleep?

Regular exercise is associated with better sleep quality overall, and some research suggests it can increase REM sleep specifically. The effect appears strongest with moderate aerobic exercise performed earlier in the day.

Timing matters. Vigorous exercise too close to bedtime can raise your core body temperature and heart rate, making it harder to fall asleep. This can delay sleep onset and shorten your night, which indirectly reduces REM. Finish intense workouts at least a few hours before bed.

Regular morning or afternoon exercise helps regulate your circadian rhythm and increases sleep pressure by the evening. This leads to deeper, more continuous sleep, which gives your brain more opportunities to cycle into REM.

Why Do I Wake Up During REM Sleep?

Waking up during REM is common and often memorable because you are more likely to recall dreams when you wake directly from REM. The experience can feel jarring, especially if the dream was vivid or intense.

Waking during REM is not necessarily a problem. Everyone wakes briefly several times a night, often during or right after REM periods. The issue is when you cannot fall back asleep. If you wake up during REM and stay awake, you cut that REM period short and may struggle to get back into the cycle.

If this happens regularly, look at what might be interrupting your sleep. Light exposure, noise, a too-warm bedroom, or an uncomfortable mattress can all trigger awakenings. Keeping your bedroom dark, cool, and quiet reduces the chance of waking during critical sleep stages.

Does Napping Help or Hurt REM Sleep?

Napping is a double-edged sword for REM sleep. A short nap of 20 to 30 minutes is unlikely to include much REM because REM typically does not begin until about 90 minutes into sleep. A longer nap of 90 minutes or more can include a full sleep cycle with REM.

The problem is that long naps can reduce your sleep pressure at night. If you nap for 90 minutes in the afternoon, you may not feel sleepy enough at bedtime, which shortens your night sleep and reduces overall REM. If you are already struggling with nighttime sleep, avoid long naps.

For people who are sleep-deprived, a nap can help restore alertness, but it does not fully replace the REM sleep lost at night. The brain prioritizes deep sleep first when you are exhausted, often at the expense of REM, until your sleep debt is paid down.

What About Sleep Trackers and REM Detection?

Consumer sleep trackers — smartwatches, rings, and bedside devices — are popular tools for estimating sleep stages. They use movement and heart rate data to guess whether you are in light sleep, deep sleep, or REM.

These devices are not medically accurate. Research comparing consumer trackers to clinical sleep studies (polysomnography) finds that they frequently misclassify sleep stages. A tracker telling you that you got 45 minutes of REM may be off by a significant margin.

That said, trackers can still be useful for spotting patterns. If a tracker consistently shows low REM on nights when you drink alcohol or sleep late, that pattern is likely real even if the exact numbers are not precise. Use trackers as a general guide, not a diagnostic tool.

When Should You See a Doctor About Poor Sleep?

Occasional poor sleep is normal. Chronic poor sleep is not. If you regularly feel unrefreshed after 7 to 9 hours in bed, or if you consistently wake up multiple times a night, it is worth discussing with a doctor.

Certain symptoms warrant medical attention sooner. Loud snoring, gasping during sleep, or witnessed pauses in breathing may indicate sleep apnea. Persistent insomnia lasting more than a few weeks may benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), which is the first-line treatment recommended by most sleep medicine guidelines.

Medications that affect sleep should only be used under medical supervision. Over-the-counter sleep aids are not designed to increase REM sleep and may actually reduce it. Prescription sleep medications vary in their effects on sleep architecture, and a doctor can help you understand what is appropriate for your situation.