Depression: Unsurprisingly, REM plays a major role in mental health, specifically with the regulation of moods and emotions. REM sleep short-term disruptions have been long known to increase irritability, anxiety, tension, and aggression. Loss of REM sleep most often leads to poor concentration, fatigue, and sleepiness during the day affecting social relationships. Recent studies show that normal REM sleep supports healthy emotional processing while diminished REM and depression are strongly connected.
Risk of Diabetes: REM sleep leads to a decrease in interstitial glucose. People who experience sleep restrictions process glucose slowly; hence, they are likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Sleep deprivation due to sleep apnea destabilizes hormones that regulate the metabolism, triggering insulin resistance in the body and prompting the onset of early diabetes.
