Lack of sleep hindering gains

Our bodies have remarkable capabilities to repair itself and grow in an expanded state while healing. In weight lifting the body is suppose to grow in the REM stage of sleep. This is the stage where your body spends the least amount of time, but is the deepest state of sleep. By not spending enough time in the REM stage, your body is not benefitting fully from the intense workout you may have had.

So my question is if REM is the point where our bodies grow, does this apply to PE gains also? Is it possible that not sleeping enough will hinder your gains? Also, I remember when I would finish my bodybuilding competition and get off the diet I would eat everything I couldn’t eat during my dieting time. During this time I was sleeping about 13 hours a day and gained a significant amount of weight. Normally I wouldn’t sleep this much, but since I was growing, and we grow when we sleep, do you think it is possible for proper PE’ing to cause a sense of tiredness which would eventually lead to someone to be able to determine if they had a session where growth could occur?

Imagine to clamp while being in the REM sleep :D … Or stretch if you want length for that matter.