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Glite Dictionary
paradoxical sleep

paradoxical sleep

6.3
A part of sleep when the eyes move quickly and dreams feel real
  • noun
  • /ˌpærəˈdɑksɪkəl slip/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sueño paradójico
  • Loss of paradoxical sleep may affect memory and emotional regulation.

Examples

  • Children often experience longer periods of paradoxical sleep than adults do.

  • Researchers measured brain activity during paradoxical sleep to study dreaming.

  • During paradoxical sleep, the brain is highly active.

  • Have you ever experienced paradoxical sleep?

  • During paradoxical sleep, the brain is highly active, making it possible to experience vivid dreams.

  • In humans, paradoxical sleep usually occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep, lasting for varying periods.

  • Researchers study paradoxical sleep to understand how it affects memory and emotional processing.

Synonyms

REM
vsparadoxical sleep
  • Specialized
13 5.2

A stage of sleep when your eyes move quickly and you have clear dreams

adds that brain activity closely matches wakefulness during the same stage
REM sleep
vsparadoxical sleep
  • Specialized
10 4.1

A stage of sleep with fast eye movement, clear dreams, and high brain activity

notes brain activity resembles wakefulness rather than only being increased
rapid eye movement
vsparadoxical sleep
  • Specialized
2 3.9

A stage of sleep when the eyes move quickly and you have vivid dreams

emphasizes brain activity resembling wakefulness rather than just eye motion
rapid eye movement sleep
vsparadoxical sleep
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A sleep stage when the eyes move quickly and most dreaming happens

stresses similarity to wakefulness rather than only high activity

Antonyms

wakefulness
4 4.7

A period when you are not sleeping, often because you cannot fall asleep at night

Surface Forms

paradoxical sleep singular
paradoxical sleeps plural

Morphology

paradoxical + sleep

The meaning is directly compositional: 'paradoxical' (seemingly contradictory) + 'sleep' yields a type of sleep that is paradoxical — i.e., sleep that has unexpected/contradictory properties such as wake-like brain activity. Although it is a technical label for REM sleep, the adjective-noun combination transparently conveys the core idea and is understandable to learners who know both constituent words.

Etymology

Paradoxical sleep comes from a strange image: the word sleep fits because the body is still, but paradoxical points to the surprise that the brain is active and the eyes move. That odd mix—being asleep while the brain looks 'awake'—is why the name refers to the dreaming stage when you are 'dreaming'.