How to Recharge Your Mind and Get More REM Sleep
— REM sleep enhances memory, emotional health, and learning—follow these natural tips to improve your sleep quality and wake up refreshed.
Getting enough sleep is very important for your body and mind. It refreshes you, improves your focus, and keeps your emotions balanced. One of the most important stages of sleep is REM (Rapid Eye Movement). It’s crucial for cognitive functions such as memory consolidation, learning, and emotional regulation. During REM sleep, the brain processes emotional experiences and strengthens neural connections, supporting mental clarity and stability.
Unfortunately, many things can disrupt REM sleep, such as too much screen time before bed, stress, and irregular sleeping schedules. But don’t worry; there are simple and natural ways to improve your sleep and wake up feeling refreshed. Let’s explore how to recharge your mind and get the quality sleep you deserve.
What Is REM Sleep And Why Is It Important?
REM sleep is one of the four stages of sleep and is characterized by rapid eye movements, increased brain activity, vivid dreaming, and reduced muscle tone (atonia). It typically begins about 90 minutes after falling asleep and recurs multiple times throughout the night, with longer durations in the later sleep cycles.
REM phase is important for health for several reasons:
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Memory Consolidation: REM sleep plays a key role in processing and storing information, aiding in learning and long-term memory formation.
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Emotional Regulation: It helps process emotions and manage stress, contributing to mental stability and resilience.
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Brain Development: Particularly in infants, REM sleep supports neural growth and brain development.
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Dreaming: Most vivid dreams occur during REM sleep, which may help the brain simulate scenarios and problem-solve.
Insufficient REM sleep may impair memory, emotional health, and cognitive function. It’s usually caused by poor sleeping habits, alcohol consumption, stress and too much screentime before bed.
Lifestyle Changes to Improve REM Sleep
There are a lot of small things you can do to improve your sleep. The changes you should make may seem easy, but breaking habits is hard, so you should try to stay consistent. It will get easier over time.
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Stick to a Consistent Sleeping Schedule
What to Do: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
How It Helps: A regular sleep schedule strengthens your body’s internal clock, ensuring you get enough total sleep, especially the REM-rich later stages of the night.
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Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine
What to Do: Engage in calming activities like reading, meditation, or taking a warm bath before bed.
How It Helps: Relaxation reduces stress hormones that can interfere with falling asleep and progressing into REM sleep.
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Make Your Sleep Environment Comfortable
What to Do: Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, cool, and free of distractions like screens or work materials.
How It Helps: A comfortable environment minimizes disruptions during the night, allowing for longer periods of uninterrupted REM sleep.
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Natural Supplements
What to Do: Start taking natural supplements that can help you fall asleep and relax. It can be Lion’s Mane Mushroom, Melatonin, or CBD Oil.
How It Helps: They help you fall asleep faster and the best part is that it’s all natural and herbal. For example, Lion's Mane Mushroom can help with sleep, primarily by promoting relaxation and improving overall sleep quality.
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Watch What You Eat and Drink Before Bed
What to Do: Avoid alcohol and caffeine in the evening and eliminate nicotine use close to bedtime.
How It Helps: Alcohol suppresses REM sleep, caffeine disrupts sleep onset, and nicotine reduces overall sleep quality, all of which impair REM sleep cycles.
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Exercise Regularly
What to Do: Engage in moderate physical activity during the day, but avoid vigorous workouts close to bedtime.
How It Helps: Regular exercise improves overall sleep quality and helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle, indirectly supporting REM sleep.
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Avoid Blue Light Exposure Before Bed
What to Do: Limit screen time from devices like phones and TVs at least an hour before sleeping.
How It Helps: Blue light suppresses melatonin production, delaying sleep onset.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to make drastic changes to improve your REM sleep; minor and consistent adjustments to your routine will make a big difference. By maintaining a regular sleep schedule, creating a calming bedtime routine, and avoiding common sleep disruptors like blue light and caffeine, you can help your body enter deeper, more restorative sleep cycles.
Natural supplements are also gentle and effective ways to improve your sleep. For example, Feel Supreme’s products help you relax your body and mind, regulate your sleep cycle, and improve sleep quality. The best part is that they are herbal and, therefore, natural. If you pair them with healthy sleeping habits, you’ll always wake up feeling refreshed, focused, and ready for the day.
