This study shows that it is not just total sleep time that may be important, but assuring the right balance of the different stages of sleep, said Jaffee, who co-authored an editorial that accompanied the study. REM describes our eye movements during this stage and is also the state associated with when we have dreams,' he said. 'When we sleep, we go through different stages to include REM sleep. Michael Jaffee, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Previous studies have focused on total sleep time and have shown that both not enough total sleep and too much total sleep can be associated with increased risk of dying early, said Dr. 'Strategies to preserve REM may influence clinical therapies and reduce mortality risk, particularly for adults with less than 15% of REM sleep.' 'REM sleep appears to be a reliable predictor of mortality and may have other predictive health values,' Leary said. REM sleep's links to mortality were similar in both groups. Poor REM sleep was tied to early death from any cause as well as death from cardiovascular and other diseases, the researchers found. They also collected data on nearly 1,400 men and women, average age 52, who were part of another study and were followed for a median of 21 years. But that is outside the scope of this project,' she said.įor the study, Leary and her colleagues included more than 2,600 men, average age 76, who were followed for a median of 12 years. 'As we learn more about the relationship, we can begin looking at ways to optimize REM.

It's still too early to make recommendations about improving REM sleep based on this study, Leary said. 'The function of REM is still not well understood, but knowing that less REM is linked to higher mortality rates adds a piece to the puzzle,' she said. Also, this study couldn't prove that poor REM causes death, only that it's associated with an increased risk of dying early. How REM sleep is associated with risk of death isn't known, Leary said. This study found in two independent cohorts that lower levels of REM sleep was associated with higher rates of mortality,' she said. 'In our busy, fast-paced lives, sleep can feel like a time-consuming nuisance.

She is a senior manager of clinical research at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. Yet, many people ignore the signs of sleep problems or don't allow enough time to get adequate sleep,' said lead researcher Eileen Leary.

'Numerous studies have linked insufficient sleep with significant health consequences. For every 5% reduction in REM sleep, mortality rates increase 13% to 17% among older and middle-aged adults, researchers report. REM ( rapid eye movement) sleep is when dreams occur and the body repairs itself from the ravages of the day.

Too little rem sleep