Not dreaming can be a harbinger of early death

Dreams are essential. During confinement, they played a role of emotional regulator, allowing us to better live this particular moment. A study conducted by researchers at Stanford University reveals that people who have little REM sleep phase, the time when dreams and nightmares take place, have an increased risk of early death. The results of the study have been published in the journal JAMA Neurology.

REM sleep to predict mortality

Researchers have tried to find out in detail which phases of sleep can pose risks to our health if they are not respected. “Previous studies have told us that sleep duration is associated with mortality, but little was known about how different stages of sleep relate to timing or cause of death.”, reported Eileen B. Leary, lead author of the study. To do this, they followed 2,675 volunteers, integrated into an experiment on sleep disorders between 2003 and 2016, and observed their sleep cycles, at home and then under scientific supervision. They also looked at the records of 1,375 participants in a study on the health effects of sleep disorders.

The participants’ study showed that REM sleep is the phase of sleep that is most associated with a health risk if it is not well respected. “REM sleep has been identified as the most important sleep stage for predicting all-cause mortality”, concluded the researcher. The first panel of volunteers showed a 13% higher mortality rate over a dozen years for every 5% loss of REM sleep. Similar results were observed for participants in the second study.

Influencing Clinical Therapies

These results lead to a closer look at REM sleep to improve our health. “REM sleep appears to be a reliable predictor of mortality and may have other predictive health valuessays Eileen B. Leary. Strategies to preserve REM sleep can influence clinical therapies and reduce mortality risk, especially for adults with little REM sleep. However, more research is needed to better understand the relationship.”