What Is Deep Sleep? How To Get More Deep Sleep?

More than the length of your sleep, the quality of shut-eye you get every night matters a lot. If you find yourself feeling sluggish and lethargic even after snoozing for 8 hours the night before, then you probably didn’t get enough deep sleep.

Deep sleep is that state wherein the body repairs and heals itself, building muscle tissue, boosting the immune system, and essentially detoxifying and refreshing your entire system for the next day.

The Different Stages of Sleep

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the sleep cycle can be broken down into 4 stages: 3 NREM (non-rapid eye movement) stages followed by REM. The cycle repeats after every 90 minutes.

NREM sleep:

N1 – This is also known as light sleep, which is the state between being awake and falling asleep.

N2 – This is the onset of sleep, wherein your body temperature drops and your breathing and heart rate become regular.

N3 – This is also known as deep sleep. While more research needs to be done for this sleep stage, scientists have already discovered that it is during this phase that the deepest and most restorative sleep happens. This phase is essential for the body to heal, recover, and rejuvenate, in order to have restored energy for the next day.

REM – During this stage, the brain is active, which is why dreams often occur during REM.

Deep sleep has other names: delta sleep and “slow-wave” sleep or SWS.

In a deep sleep, you don’t dream, your heart rate slows down, and your muscles relax so much so that you barely move. Even loud noises won’t bother you — much less wake you up — during deep sleep. However, if you’re suddenly woken up while in deep sleep mode, don’t be surprised to find yourself groggy or disoriented.

The Benefits of Getting Enough Deep Sleep

As mentioned, getting sufficient deep sleep makes you alert and refreshed when you wake up the next day. In addition, the advantages of having adequate deep sleep are:

• Better memory – Through glucose metabolism, the brain repairs and heals itself. The information and data you’ve encountered while you’re awake are converted and stored in the short- and long-term memory during deep sleep.
• Cell regeneration – Kids and teens need more hours of deep sleep than adults. During deep sleep, the pituitary gland secretes human growth hormones necessary to the growth and development of the body.
• Tissue and bone repair, as well as strengthening the immune system – There’s a reason people are encouraged to get as much sleep as they can when they’re sick. In deep sleep, the body is focused on repairing itself, rebuilding muscles, and recovering and restoring energy.

Ways To Get More Deep Sleep

Not getting quality sleep can increase your risk to certain diseases and health conditions such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The National Sleep Foundation also says that being sleep-deprived can mess up your appetite and metabolism, leading to weight gain. Furthermore, waking up NOT feeling rested can negatively impact not just your memory and productivity, but your mood as well.

Here are some ways to get more deep sleep and avoid feeling fatigued and irritable despite getting 8 hours of shut-eye:

1. Adhere to a sleep routine and schedule.

Spontaneous as you may claim to be, your body is still a creature of habit. For you to properly get deep sleep, you must follow good sleep hygiene. That means setting up a schedule, going to sleep and waking up roughly at the same time each day (if not strictly on the dot every day), having a bedtime routine to signal your body that it’s time to wind down, and fixing your sleep environment.

It may be hard to stick to a sleep routine come weekends, but if you really want to have better deep sleep, try to time your bedtime close to what it’s like on weekdays. Providing your body a consistent sleep pattern and regulating your circadian rhythm will help you find the right sleep cycle night after night.

2. Avoid taking naps.

Taking long daytime naps can mess up your sleep cycle, so if you need to catch a catnap, keep it short. The National Sleep Foundation suggests limiting your naps to 20 minutes maximum — any longer than that and your body will go into deep sleep mode, resulting in sleep hangover when you wake up, and making it hard for you to fall asleep at night. 

3. Opt for ambient sounds.

If all that silence drives you crazy, try putting on some pink noise in the background to help lull you to sleep — and increase your time in deep sleep. A study conducted by Northwestern Medicine found that pink noise — which is more soothing than staticky, hissy white noise — was able to increase the participants’ time in deep sleep.

There’s no harm in trying, so the next time you want to optimize your deep sleep, put on some pink noise, such as the waves lapping at the shore, the steady sounds of rain, or the breeze rustling the leaves of trees. There are plenty of apps and YouTube videos that provide pink noise to help you sleep better.

4. Make it a point to relax before bedtime.

By relaxing and unwinding, you’re essentially preparing your body to sleep. Your bedroom should be conducive to snoozing — shut down your TV and put away those gadgets. The lights and sounds from those devices can interfere with your sleep. If you must have a night light on, just go with warm white or yellow light from a table lamp. Read a book, solve a light puzzle, or write down your to-do list for the next day. Don’t go for anything mentally stimulating or perform any activity that will stress out your brain. You can also use aromatherapy to prep yourself for sleep — dabbing lavender essential oil on pressure points such as your wrists and temples can have a soothing, calming effect.

5. Avoid big meals before bedtime.

Yes, some people claim they fall asleep more easily when their tummy is full, but it doesn’t mean you’ll get good quality deep sleep. When you fall asleep because you’re full from a heavy dinner, you’re increasing your chances of experiencing indigestion, acid reflux, and broken sleep.

6. Eat right.

In relation to the previous tip, having a healthy diet is crucial for getting good quality deep sleep. Studies show that there is a relationship between a magnesium-rich diet and deeper, uninterrupted sleep. Green, leafy veggies and fish such as mackerel are good sources of magnesium.

7. Stay away from diuretics.

One of the cardinal rules to getting good sleep is not consuming caffeine several hours before bed. Ideally, your cup of coffee should be taken when you most need it: in the morning. If you need a jolt of energy mid-afternoon, you can go for natural stimulants, such as a short walk, a cold shower, or a power nap.

Aside from making it hard for you to fall asleep, caffeine is a diuretic, which means you’ll be getting up more than usual at night to pee. While it’s normal for everyone to get up to pee in the middle of the night, having to go to the bathroom several times can interfere with your sleep cycle and ruin your chances of getting deep sleep.

In the same vein, avoid alcohol — which is another diuretic — and cigarettes, which contain nicotine, a potent stimulant.

8. Check for vitamin deficiencies.

Aside from magnesium, your diet must have a sufficient amount of vitamins A, B6, and D. These three vitamins play a crucial role in boosting deep sleep.

Vitamin A helps in setting your circadian rhythm. Good sources of this vitamin include liver, fish oil, spinach, kale, squash, cantaloupe, carrots, and sweet potatoes.

Vitamin B6 helps in the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates the levels of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Studies have shown that vitamin B6 can ease irritability and anxiety and promotes relaxation. Good sources of vitamin B6 are chicken, turkey, pork, fish, whole grains, eggs, and soya beans.

Lastly, plenty of studies have linked vitamin D deficiency to poor quality sleep. You can get a healthy dose of this vitamin with natural sun exposure, or get it from food sources such as fatty fish, liver, cheese, and egg yolk.

What If You Still Can’t Fall Asleep?

Don’t fret, and don’t get frustrated. If you’re still wide awake after 15 minutes, get up, head out of your room and do something light and relaxing until you feel sleepy again. Don’t let the pressure of falling asleep right away get to you. The less you stress about sleep, the better your beauty rest will be — and the more refreshed you’ll feel in the morning.

Final Thoughts

In today’s fast-paced, multitasking world, sleep is underrated. What you need to realize is that the better quality sleep you get, the more productive you can be. That’s why it’s important to practice good sleeping habits, set strict boundaries between your work and personal time, and follow a healthy diet and lifestyle. Optimizing your sleep and having a sufficient amount of deep sleep are key to managing everyday stress better, stay healthier, and be in peak form every day.

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