Posted by Ritch on February 9, 2003, at 11:07:41
In reply to Strange REM sleep Phenomenon, posted by Alara on February 9, 2003, at 1:02:55
> Has anybody who is busy during the week ever noticed the following?:
>
> On the weekends you catch up on your sleep...Knowing that you can sleep for as long as you want, you keep drifting in and out of REM sleep after a full 8-10 hours of `catchup sleep'.
>
> I find this happening to me every weekend. I can continue sleeping for another 3-5 hours after the restorative sleep phase, becoming semi-awake after each dream finishes..At this point I can decide whether or not to get up or to fall back asleep again. I am usually kind of enjoying the dreams and feel so relaxed that I take the easy way out and fall asleep again. Today I continued this cycle until 1pm!
>
> I'm not worried about this, just curious. I think it's just the result of working long and stressful hours...It's probably just my mind/body's way of replenishing itself.. But I find it strangely therapeutic and was wondering whether anyone else had experienced anything similar.
>
>
> Alara
>
>
>I noticed that when I was going to college and working at the same time. I had some sleep deprivation during the week (due to staying up and studying), and then on the weekend I would marathon sleep (12 hrs both days), and have a lot of excessive dreaming. Intellectual activity seems to increase the need for REM sleep. That also can translate into lighter sleep during the week. You might want to try a vigorous workout after you get off work (but not too close to bedtime). That might help with feeling more refreshed when you get up the next morning.
poster:Ritch
thread:140244
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030208/msgs/140287.html