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Multiple Choice

Heart rate in REM sleep is

During REM sleep the autonomic nervous system is unstable, with bursts of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity that make cardiovascular control highly variable. This leads to heart rate that fluctuates rather than staying steady, so it is best described as irregular. The heart continues to beat during REM (so “absent” isn’t correct), and it isn’t consistently decreased—rate can rise or fall in short bursts, contributing to the irregular pattern. Regular heart rate is more typical of deeper, non-REM sleep where autonomic tone is more stable.

During REM sleep the autonomic nervous system is unstable, with bursts of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity that make cardiovascular control highly variable. This leads to heart rate that fluctuates rather than staying steady, so it is best described as irregular. The heart continues to beat during REM (so “absent” isn’t correct), and it isn’t consistently decreased—rate can rise or fall in short bursts, contributing to the irregular pattern. Regular heart rate is more typical of deeper, non-REM sleep where autonomic tone is more stable.