REM sleep

Published:

Rapid eye movement sleep. One of the five stages of sleep. During REM sleep, the eyes move rapidly while closed and dreams occur. REM sleep is the lightest stage of sleep, during which a person may wake easily. During several hours of normal sleep, a person will go through several sleep cycles that include REM sleep and the 4 stages of non-REM (light to deep sleep). Also called rapid eye movement sleep.