3 Ways to Get More REM Sleep

If you want to learn a 2-minute “tongue trick” that you can do before bed to get more REM sleep, watch this short presentation!

Most people think that as long as they’re getting 7-8 hours of sleep they’re doing everything right. But the total hours you sleep matter far less than the quality of sleep you’re actually getting, specifically how much of it is REM sleep.

REM sleep is the deep restorative stage where your brain consolidates memories, regulates emotions and repairs itself. Without enough of it you wake up groggy, struggle to focus and feel exhausted no matter how many hours you spent in bed.

Here are 3 proven ways to increase the amount of REM sleep you get each night.

1. Keep a Consistent Sleep and Wake Time

Your body runs on an internal clock called the circadian rhythm. This clock regulates when your body releases melatonin, when your core temperature drops, and when it naturally cycles into REM sleep. When your sleep and wake times are consistent and in tune with each other, your circadian rhythm becomes predictable, which means your body enters REM sleep faster and stays in it longer.

The problem most people have is that they keep their weekdays consistent, but they treat their weekends as a free pass to stay up late and sleep in. Even a 90 minute shift in your sleep schedule is enough to disrupt your circadian rhythm.

The fix is straightforward but requires consistency. Pick a wake time and stick to it every single day regardless of when you went to bed. This will result in consistent and longer REM sleep.

2. Lower Your Core Body Temperature Before Bed

Most people don’t realize that your core body temperature needs to drop by approximately 1-2 degrees Fahrenheit to initiate sleep and cycle properly into REM. This is why you naturally feel sleepy in a cool room and lie awake in a warm one. Your body is trying to trigger that temperature drop, and being in a hot room isn’t helping.

One way to create this temperature drop that your body responds to is take a warm shower or bath 60-90 minutes before bed. The warm water draws blood to the surface of your skin, and when you step out of the bathroom, your core temperature drops rapidly. This temperature drop signals to your brain that it’s time to sleep.

Keeping your bedroom between 65-68 degrees Fahrenheit is the other critical piece. This is the temperature range where most people cycle in and out of REM sleep most efficiently. If your room is warmer than this, your body spends energy trying to cool itself rather than cycling through REM. A simple adjustment to your thermostat can make a noticeable difference in how much REM sleep you get.

3. Avoid Alcohol Within 3 Hours of Bedtime

Alcohol is one of the most misunderstood sleep disruptors because it actually helps you fall asleep faster, which makes people assume it’s improving their sleep. What it’s actually doing is suppressing REM sleep in the first half of the night when your body would naturally spend the most time in it.

As your body metabolizes the alcohol in the second half of the night, it causes a strange effect in the brain. Your brain ends up becoming hyperactive because it’s trying to compensate for the suppressed REM sleep that you received in the first half of the night. The end result? You end up waking up at 3 in the morning and hardly getting any REM sleep.

The 3 hour window matters because that’s roughly how long it takes your body to metabolize one to two drinks. If alcohol is out of your system before you fall asleep, the REM suppression effect that you would get in the first half of the night is largely avoided. This single change alone is one of the most impactful things a regular drinker can do to improve sleep quality without changing anything else about their routine.

Bonus Tip – This 2 Minute Tongue Trick Helps Get More REM Sleep

The 3 methods above will genuinely improve your REM sleep over time. But if you’ve tried everything and still wake up feeling like you never truly rested, the issue may be something most sleep advice never addresses.

There’s a specific connection between the muscles in your mouth and throat and the quality of your sleep cycles. When these muscles are undertrained they relax too much during sleep, subtly disrupting your breathing and pulling you out of deep REM sleep without you ever fully waking up. You feel the exhaustion the next day without knowing why.

A simple 2 minute tongue exercise done before bed directly targets these muscles and trains them to stay properly positioned through the night, allowing your body to stay in REM sleep significantly longer without interruption.

I recommend watching this short presentation that explains exactly how it works. It’s worth watching to the end because the science behind it is genuinely surprising.

WATCH THE VIDEO TO THE END

The information on this website has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration or any other medical body. We do not aim to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. Information is shared for educational purposes only. You should always consult your doctor before acting on any content on this website, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or have a medical condition. Individual results may vary.

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