The Effects of Different Factors on R.E.M. Sleep
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Secondary School
Major
-
Minor
-
Institution
Project Lead The Way - Kentucky
KY House District #
14
KY Senate District #
8
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Dr. Natalie Mountjoy
Abstract
Sleep is an important part of maintaining a healthy body. However, many people do not get their recommended hours of sleep on a nightly basis. Humans sleep in a pattern of alternating REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non‐rapid eye movement) sleep, that repeats itself every 90 minutes. REM sleep accounts for 25% of total sleep, and some studies show that increasing just the time in REM sleep can overcome some of the negative consequences of sleep deprivation that are common in our busy society today. To explore this question, we measured the amount of REM sleep obtained by 10 test subjects using a Jawbone UP3 watch overnight, and asked them to answer a questionnaire regarding different variables that may affect sleep patterns. We hypothesized we would find a positive correlation between minutes in REM sleep and amount of total sleep and amount of exercise. We hypothesized a negative correlation between caffeine consumption, BMI and ambient light. We tested our hypotheses using Spearman and Pearson correlations. We found a significant relationship between hours of sleep and REM sleep and a negative correlation, although not significant, with amount of exercise. Our data indicate that in most cases, environmental effects may not directly affect REM, but may indirectly affect REM by affecting the total amount of time an individual spends asleep.
The Effects of Different Factors on R.E.M. Sleep
Sleep is an important part of maintaining a healthy body. However, many people do not get their recommended hours of sleep on a nightly basis. Humans sleep in a pattern of alternating REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non‐rapid eye movement) sleep, that repeats itself every 90 minutes. REM sleep accounts for 25% of total sleep, and some studies show that increasing just the time in REM sleep can overcome some of the negative consequences of sleep deprivation that are common in our busy society today. To explore this question, we measured the amount of REM sleep obtained by 10 test subjects using a Jawbone UP3 watch overnight, and asked them to answer a questionnaire regarding different variables that may affect sleep patterns. We hypothesized we would find a positive correlation between minutes in REM sleep and amount of total sleep and amount of exercise. We hypothesized a negative correlation between caffeine consumption, BMI and ambient light. We tested our hypotheses using Spearman and Pearson correlations. We found a significant relationship between hours of sleep and REM sleep and a negative correlation, although not significant, with amount of exercise. Our data indicate that in most cases, environmental effects may not directly affect REM, but may indirectly affect REM by affecting the total amount of time an individual spends asleep.