Question: what is rem sleep characterized by?
Answer: REM Sleep. REM sleep is defined by the presence of desynchronized (low-voltage, mixed-frequency) brain wave activity, muscle atonia, and bursts of rapid eye movements (Carskadon and Dement, 2005). “Sawtooth” wave forms, theta activity (3 to 7 counts per second), and slow alpha activity also characterize REM sleep.