Wow, that's AMAZING! REM sleep! Who even thought to look for that? Thanks so much for sharing that-
As far as knowing when they're asleep- it's sorta like snakes*. (*Except for the ones with round pupils- when they're asleep you can tell because their pupils sink to the 6 o'clock position, instead of centered. Of course, when you look, it tends to wake them up- so you have to look fast, quietly & preferably without a flashlight.)