Alcohol reduces how much time we spend in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep - the stage of sleep where dreams generally occur.

BBC: Alcohol-fuelled sleep 'less satisfying'

Leads attached next to the eyes can capture eye movement, useful for revealing when a patient is in rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep.

WSJ: More Children With Sleep Problems Seek Overnight Tests

Excessive alcohol consumption disrupts the 'REM' (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of deep sleep to ruin a night's rest, according to the UK Department of Health.

CNN: Vital Signs health tips

Nelson thinks that near-death experiences are part of the dream mechanism and that the person having the experience is in a REM, or "rapid eye movement, " state.

CNN: Doctor says near-death experiences are in the mind

Eye movement is one of the few things that we do in both our dreams and with our bodies, hence the term Rapid Eye Movement, or REM sleep.

FORBES: Saying 'Hi' Through A Dream: How The Internet Could Make Sleeping More Social

The sleep test also was normal, except for a delayed onset of rapid-eye-movement sleep, with unknown medical significance.

FORBES: Are those deluxe executive exams worth it?