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Unfortunately, even when one sleeps in late to compensate for lost REM sleep, the body can only recover about 50% of the REM sleep debt incurred due to alcohol consumption. Thus, while vivid dreams may seem like a boon, they actually signal an underlying deficiency that could affect cognitive and emotional well-being.
The Importance of Sleep Stages
When assessing the role of sleep, distinction between different stages—REM and non-REM—becomes crucial. Remarkably, research indicates that deprivation of REM sleep can be more lethal than a lack of deep sleep. Studies on rats show that while death might come after 60 days without deep sleep, it could occur after only 20 days without adequate REM sleep.