non-REM sleep
noun
variants
or NREM sleep
: a state of sleep that occurs regularly during a normal period of sleep with intervening periods of REM sleep and is characterized by delta wave brain activity, little dreaming, and a reduced level of autonomic physiological activity
Non-REM sleep is a quiet sleep state. The muscles are relaxed but maintain some tone, breathing is regular, the cerebral cortex generates high-voltage waves, and consumption of energy by the brain is minimal.—Jerome M. Siegel
For most people the few dreams found in non-REM sleep tend to have a rather thought-like character. During REM sleep, on the other hand, dreams occur more frequently and usually have a perceptual vividness …—Francis Crick et al.
NREM sleep … is crucial to memory retention, and to acquiring and refining our motor skills.—David Kamp
compare rem sleep, slow-wave sleep
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