Final answer:
(A) True, people do experience more REM sleep the next night after missing it, known as REM rebound. This mechanism is thought to be a homeostatic response, helping regulate emotional processing and learning.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that if we miss REM sleep for a night, we experience more of it the next night is, in fact, true. When people are deprived of REM sleep and later given the opportunity to sleep without disturbances, they often experience an increase in REM sleep duration, a phenomenon known as REM rebound. This finding indicates that REM sleep is homeostatically regulated.
REM sleep, which involves rapid movements of the eyes, paralysis of voluntary muscles, and dreaming, plays a significant role in emotional processing and learning and memory. A lack of REM sleep can lead to sleep deprivation with negative psychological and physiological consequences. In cases where REM sleep is lost, REM rebound serves as an adaptive response to mitigate the effects of stress and restore balance to sleep patterns.