Sleep well

REST AND RESTORATION

There’s a reason people advise you to ‘sleep on it’ and it all comes down to REM sleep. When we sleep, we move through two sleep modes: REM and non-rem. Adults spend roughly 20 per cent of their time asleep, and REM is when most dreaming takes place. We’ve known for a while that this crucial period of sleep is important for processing emotions, and new research from the University of Bern shows exactly how. Its study reveals how neurons (the cells that send messages) in the front of the brain reinforce positive emotions, while also fading negative ones. This proves why sleep is so important for processing the events of the day and bolstering good mental health.