Accumulating more deep sleep is necessary for general health and well-being. Deep sleep, or slow-wave sleep (SWS), is the most restorative phase of the sleep cycle and is vital for physical recovery, memory consolidation, and immune function. Research indicates that deep sleep usually represents approximately 13-23% of total sleep in adults, but many cannot accumulate enough. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 35% of American adults admit to receiving less than the advised 7 hours of sleep each night, which tends to leave them with a lack of quality deep sleep.
So, if you are wondering how do I get more deep sleep? It combines lifestyle modifications, sleeping habits, and environmental changes. From scheduling your sleep to reducing distractions and minimizing stress, this guide provides actionable advice to improve your deep sleep so you can wake up refreshed and energized. Let's see how to improve the quality of your sleep and get the restorative benefits of deep sleep.
What is Deep Sleep?
Deep sleep, or slow-wave sleep (SWS) or delta sleep, is the most restorative stage of the sleep cycle. It occurs in the third and fourth stages of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Your brain activity during deep sleep slows considerably, and the body concentrates on repair, regeneration, and immune function. This stage is essential for physical recovery, muscle growth, tissue repair, and memory consolidation.
Deep sleep equates to about 1 to 2 hours of deep sleep each night if you're sleeping the recommended amount, which is 7-9 hours. The amount of deep sleep may differ depending on your age, whether the quality is good, and overall health factors. When you grow older, the amount of deep sleep decreases. Young adults might enjoy more deep sleep, while older adults may receive less. Deep sleep is necessary for physical restoration, memory consolidation, and general well-being. During this phase, heart rate, respiration, and body temperature decline, making deep relaxation and rejuvenation possible. Sufficient deep sleep is vital for general well-being since it enhances mental functions, mood, the immune system, and hormonal balance.
What are the Stages of Sleep?
Sleep is of two types, Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, which repeat through the night. There are four stages of sleep:
Stage 1 (NREM) – This stage is the lightest, lasting 5-10 minutes. You are transitioning from awake to asleep, and muscle activity slows down. It is not difficult to wake up during this stage.
Stage 2 (NREM) – This is a more profound state of sleep that lasts around 20 minutes. Your body temperature and heart rate decrease, and your brain waves are slower. It's also where sleep spindles (spurts of brain activity) happen, aiding memory consolidation.
Stage 3 (NREM) – This is deep sleep or slow-wave sleep. It's the most restorative of the stages, during which your body repairs itself and growth hormones are released. It lasts 20-40 minutes.
Stage 4 (REM) – REM sleep is where dreaming primarily happens. Brain activity rises, and your muscles are temporarily paralyzed to keep you from acting out dreams. REM sleep is important for memory and emotional control.
These phases recur in cycles, with each complete cycle taking approximately 90 minutes, and you usually have 4-6 cycles per night.
What are the Benefits of Deep Sleep?
Deep sleep has many significant advantages for your body and mind. Here are some of the most important benefits:
Physical Restoration: Deep sleep is when your body does repair work on tissues, builds muscle mass, and bolsters the immune system. It's essential to overall physical healing and energy levels.
Memory and Learning: While sleeping deeply, the brain remembers and processes information that was taken in throughout the day. This improves learning, problem-solving, and brain function.
Hormone Regulation: Growth hormone, essential for muscle growth and tissue repair, is secreted during deep sleep. Deep sleep also regulates hormones that manage stress and appetite.
Emotional Health: Proper deep sleep maintains mood and emotional health. It supports enhanced stress resistance, lowers irritability, and improves mental well-being.
Improved Immune Function: Deep sleep enhances the immune system to combat infection and illness more efficiently.
Better Physical Performance: Deep sleep maximizes physical performance by permitting muscle and tissue repair, minimizing fatigue, and enhancing overall strength and endurance.
What Happens When You Don’t Get Enough Deep Sleep?
Not having enough deep sleep can harm your body and mind. Here's what happens when you repeatedly miss deep sleep:
Physical Fatigue: Deep sleep is essential for physical restoration. Without sufficient, you might feel tired, have muscle aches, and have reduced energy levels during the day.
Weakened Immune System: Deep sleep is essential in strengthening your immune system. Lack of deep sleep can make you more vulnerable to infections and diseases.
Cognitive Impairment: Insufficient deep sleep impacts memory consolidation and mental function. It is difficult to concentrate, recall information, and problem-solve.
Mood Disorders: Chronic lack of sleep, particularly the deprivation of deep sleep, may cause irritability, heightened stress, sleep anxiety, and even depression.
Hormonal Imbalance: Deep sleep maintains the balance of hormones associated with appetite, stress, and growth. Deep sleep deprivation can imbalance these hormones, causing weight gain, hunger, and elevated levels of stress.
Impaired Physical Performance: Your muscles fail to repair optimally without adequate deep sleep, which can lower strength, endurance, and recovery time after exercise.
Increased Risk of Chronic Conditions: Severe sleep deprivation, especially the lack of deep sleep, is linked with an increased risk of acquiring diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension.
How Much Sleep is Enough Deep Sleep?
The quantity of deep sleep varies based on age and personal sleep needs. Most adults (18-64 years) should target 1 to 2 hours of deep sleep per night, usually equivalent to 13-23% of the advised 7-9 total sleeping hours. Older adults (65+) will likely get less deep sleep, usually about an hour or slightly shorter, but they still gain from whatever they receive. Teens (14-17 years) need more deep sleep, typically 1.5 to 2 hours, since their bodies need that extra sleep for growth and recovery. Children (6-13 years) need even more, usually about 2 hours, because of their intense growth needs. Although personal needs will differ, having 1-2 hours of deep sleep every night is vital for bodily rejuvenation, memory consolidation, and overall health.
How to Know If You’re Getting Enough Deep Sleep?
When measuring the quality of your sleep, essential physiological elements like breathing rate, oxygenation, body movements, brain waves, and heart rate while sleeping can give you great insight into whether you are attaining sufficient deep sleep.
Breathing Rate: During deep sleep, respiration becomes slower and more consistent. Irregular or shallow breathing may reflect poor sleep quality or interruption, such as sleep apnea, which keeps you from achieving sufficient deep sleep.
Oxygen Levels: Deep sleep usually maintains healthy oxygen levels in the blood. If your oxygen levels fall considerably during sleep, it may indicate sleep apnea or other conditions that might make you unable to achieve deeper levels of sleep.
Body Movements: In deep sleep, there are fewer body movements. Constant tossing and turning or waking up during the night may signal disruptions in your sleep cycle, impacting the duration of deep sleep.
Heart Rate: Your heart rate slows dramatically during deep sleep as the body relaxes. A higher or irregular heart rate during sleep may indicate poor sleep quality, stress, or other sleep disorders.
Brain Waves: Brain activity throughout deep sleep reveals slow, large brain waves (delta waves). Slow-wave sleep is the defining characteristic of deep sleep and is central to physical and mental rejuvenation. Sleep trackers can detect brain waves to determine the depth of your sleep.
How Can I Get More Deep Sleep?
Follow these tips to get a good night’s sleep:
- Go to sleep and wake up at the same hour each day, including weekends. Regularity assists in aligning your body's internal clock, enhancing sleep quality.
- Relax with soothing activities such as reading, a warm bath, or relaxation exercises (e.g., deep breathing or meditation) to inform your body that it is time to sleep.
- Make your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool. Use blackout curtains, earplugs, cooling pillows, or a white noise machine to help block out distractions.
- The light from phones, tablets, and computers emits blue light that will disrupt your body's ability to produce melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep. Avoid screens at least 30-60 minutes before sleeping.
- Skip big meals, caffeine, and alcohol near bedtime. They can interfere with your sleep by causing discomfort, elevating your heart rate, or breaking your sleep cycle.
- Daily exercise helps quality sleep, but do not do strenuous exercise just before bedtime, as it might stimulate you and make you take longer to fall asleep.
- Take up relaxation exercises like journaling, yoga, or mindfulness to relax your mind and induce sleep.
- Although brief naps are invigorating, steer clear of long or late-day naps, as they can disrupt your nighttime sleep.
Final Thoughts
Having sufficient deep sleep is important to ensure overall health and wellness. Being the most restorative stage of the sleep cycle, deep sleep ensures physical recovery, mental function, emotional stability, and immune system integrity. Nevertheless, with the challenges of daily life, most fail to obtain sufficient deep sleep, which causes fatigue, memory loss, and a compromised immune system.
You can increase the amount and quality of deep sleep by merely implementing simple life habits—such as establishing regular bedtime routines, acclimatizing your bedroom conditions, and practicing stress mitigation. Do yourself a favor and give importance to your downtime, and both mind and body shall reward you in terms of optimum performance, mood, and well-being.
