According to a study published in PLOS Medicine, researchers from Capital Medical University in China found that getting higher amounts of REM sleep is associated with a lower risk of 83 different diseases, including heart failure and Alzheimer’s disease. The research analyzed wrist-worn tracker data from 95,559 UK health project participants over a median follow-up of nearly nine years, offering new real-world insights into how specific sleep architecture impacts long-term health.

How Sleep Stages Impact Disease Risk

According to the researchers, variations in sleep patterns were associated with 156 incidences of diseases. While higher amounts of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep lowered the risk of 83 conditions, deep sleep was linked to a lower risk of 7 health issues, including type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, as noted in the study data.

Conversely, negative sleep metrics showed distinct health hazards. According to the findings, greater sleep irregularity and increased wake after sleep onset were linked to elevated risks of 3 and 6 diseases, respectively. Sleeping less than five hours a night raised the risk of 37 diseases compared to the six-to-eight-hour sweet spot.

Did you know? Brain activity during REM sleep—the stage where most dreams occur—closely mimics wakefulness and is widely thought to support learning and brain development.

Comparing Sleep Tracking Methods: Trackers vs. Self-Reporting

Unlike previous studies that relied primarily on participants recalling and estimating their rest, this research utilized objective metrics. Past investigations often used self-reported sleep duration, which is prone to misremembering and fails to capture sleep stages like REM and deep sleep. By using wrist-worn accelerometers to track 95,559 adults in the UK Biobank databank with an average age of 56.2 years, the Capital Medical University team gathered precise, real-world data over a median follow-up period of 8.9 years.

The study authors caution that some associations—such as disrupted sleep linked to depression—could involve reverse causation, where an underlying condition alters sleep architecture rather than the other way around.

Pro Tips for Supporting Healthy Sleep Architecture

    Aim for the sweet spot: Maintain a nightly sleep duration between six and eight hours to support favorable sleep architecture, according to the study authors.

    Protect your circadian rhythm: Minimize late-night stress, alcohol consumption, and irregular schedules, all of which negatively impact the natural generation of REM sleep.

    Prioritize consistency: Keep regular sleep and wake times to reduce wakefulness after sleep onset (WASO) and guard against elevated disease risks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What diseases are linked to higher amounts of REM sleep?

According to the PLOS Medicine study, higher amounts of REM sleep are associated with a lower risk of 83 diseases, including heart failure, Alzheimer’s disease, hypotension, and atrial fibrillation.

How much sleep is considered the ideal sweet spot?

The researchers noted that sleeping between six and eight hours a night is associated with a lower risk of a significant number of diseases, whereas sleeping less than five hours increases the risk of 37 diseases.

REM Sleep Dreams Lower Risk of 83 Diseases
Photo: medicalnewstoday.com

Does the study prove direct cause and effect?

No, the study does not prove direct cause and effect, but its large participant group and real-world accelerometer data provide robust observational insights into how sleep patterns relate to disease risk.

What factors reduce REM sleep?

Going against the body’s natural circadian rhythm, experiencing stress, drinking alcohol, and the natural aging process all tend to negatively impact the amount of REM sleep an individual gets.