It is important for caregivers to get quality sleep.

Getting more REM sleep can make a difference in mental processes, including memory and learning.

REM, a sleep stage characterized by rapid eye movement, is one of four sleep stages.

The average person experiences four to six REM episodes during a normal night of sleep.

REM sleep is the sleep stage commonly associated with dreaming.

During this stage, the eyes move rapidly behind closed eyelids, and brain activity consists of smaller, faster waves, called theta waves, that are similar to wakefulness.

Most muscles become temporarily paralyzed during REM sleep to prevent accidental harm from acting out dreams, although individuals may display occasional muscle twitches.

Experts have found evidence suggesting REM sleep is a crucial part of memory consolidation and helps prepare and maintain neural connections to enhance future learning.

Studies show that taking a nap and reaching the REM sleep stage leads to improvements in working memory.

How do you get more REM sleep?

Since REM sleep occurs mostly during the second half of the sleep period, sleeping for too short a period may not allow time to complete all the REM sleep cycles.

Thus, most recommendations for obtaining more REM sleep centers around ensuring you are obtaining a sufficient quantity and quality of sleep.

For better sleep, it is important to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

Longer periods of REM sleep tend to align with the dip in the body temperature that occurs in the early morning hours, which is regulated by the circadian rhythm.

Disrupting this balance by keeping irregular sleepwake times may confuse the body and interfere with REM sleep regulation.

If alterations in REM sleep are due to disruptions caused by a sleep disorder, then treating the disorder can prompt a return to normal proportions of REM sleep.

Your doctor or a sleep specialist can help you develop an appropriate treatment plan depending on your personal situation.

Amounts of REM sleep usually stabilize once a person starts receiving quality sleep on a regular basis.

Some experts recommend adopting sleep hy- giene habits to improve sleep quality. Examples of sleep hygiene habits include:

• Exercising regularly;

• Maintaining a cool, dark, and quiet bedroom environment;

• Establishing a regular bedtime routine with soothing activities, such as reading or taking a warm bath;

• Keeping gadgets and screens out of the bedroom;

• If unable to sleep after 20 minutes, leaving your bed and doing something else in another room until you feel sleepy enough to return to bed.

Sleep hygiene may be helpful for some people, but it is not considered suffi cient treatment for people who have a diagnosed sleep disorder or other medical condition.

As always check with your doctor if you are having sleep problems.

If you are a family caregiver and need help with information on programs available to you contact, Twila Doucet, caregiver coordinator at LTCA of Enid Area Agency on Aging, 580-234-7475 or tdoucet@ltcaenid.org