How to Get More Deep Sleep : 10 Proven Tips
Written by Nectarsleep editorial team
Fact checked
Last Updated on Mar 20, 2023
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When we sleep, we go through four sleep stages. Stage 3 or 4 of a sleep cycle, which makes you feel refreshed after waking up, is deep sleep. During deep sleep, your heart rate, brain activity, and breathing slow down.
Deep sleep has a significant role in making you feel revived after waking up. We are always advised to sleep 7 to 8 hours a day. The number of hours we sleep does not matter if we are not getting good quality sleep. Continue reading to learn the secrets of how to get more deep sleep.
Tips on How to Get More Deep Sleep
If you have continued reading till this point, your upcoming question would definitely be how to increase deep sleep? Or how to improve sleep quality? Well, we have heard you and therefore offering you the tips on how to get more deep sleep. Deep sleep or slow-wave sleep amounts to only 10 to 15% of an average sleeper’s 7 to 9 hours of sleep. It is during this time that the body heals; therefore, the minimum amount of sleep you receive in the deep state needs to be high by following the below tips.
Say No to Electronic Devices
How often have you heard your parents asking you to put your phone or laptop aside at least 30 minutes before sleeping? Numerous times we suppose! The reason is, blue lights prevent melatonin production, the hormone that furthers your body’s sleeping. Melatonin hormone is beneficial in balancing the circadian sleep-wake rhythm and reminds the body that it’s time to rest.
You may say that your phone has a screen protector light offering an orange hue, but isn’t it best to simply put all tech gadgets off your grasp and have a healthy deep sleep? If you wish to relax, just engage in some reading or drawing, or maybe put on some music for deep sleep - it works!
Make Way For a Chilly and Shady Ambience
One major key to knowing how to sleep deeper is having a shady and cool bedroom as it amps up melatonin production. Sleeping in a cool and calm bedroom will result in the utmost relaxing sleep. To know how to achieve deep sleep, you simply need to put on warm and cozy blankets that will lull you to sleep. Wondering if you will feel chilly? Our bodies have a mechanism known as thermoregulation that helps our body balance temperature. However, you must avoid sleeping in a room owing to extreme heat - 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more.
Even if you cannot control the temperature, you can opt to wear light clothes during summer, place an extra fan, eat cooling food, and so on.
Organize Yourself a Bedtime Routine
How about an aesthetic bedtime routine to help you get some deep sleep? Organizing a bedtime routine that might include a warm shower, meditation, yoga, slow music like jazz, reading your favorite book, or similar activities can be incorporated to gift yourself a deep sleep. In fact, studies have shown that children who were associated with a nighttime routine concluded with a deeper sleep state than the ones who didn’t.
Be Consistent With your Bed Time
One of the answers to how to induce deep sleep is to achieve consistent bedtime. Maintaining a uniform bedtime schedule and rise time, your body’s circadian rhythm becomes compatible and stringent. This way, your body automatically reaches a point when you don’t have to force yourself to sleep.
Pick the Comfiest Bedding
Choosing bedding material and pajamas made of cotton, Tencel or bamboo is the most appropriate option. Wearing these materials will ensure long hours of stage 4 sleep or deep sleep.
Bring On Some Aromatherapy
Start using essential oils like lavender or clary sage - the names themselves release a soothing vibe. To know how to improve sleep quality or get more deep sleep, simply start relaxing more by using aromatherapy. It controls stress, limits tension, diminishes heart rate, and promotes calmness. Simply put 6 to 10 drops of essential oils into a spray bottle (if you don’t have a diffuser), and spray it into the air before you doze off.
Incorporate a Healthy Diet
Wish to know how to get more deep sleep? Avoid those heavy and rich high-carb dinners! Having heavy meals is highly troublesome as it leads to acid reflux once you lay down. Instead, opt for low-carb dinners like cottage cheese, celery, peanut butter, and similar ones.
Time For Some Exercise
When it comes to knowing how to get more deep sleep, it is time to indulge in some 30 minutes of religious exercise. Exercising thrice a week for around half an hour results in boosted heart rate and working on the muscles. Aerobic exercise is the best way to release endorphins, and this is the chemical that keeps you attentive throughout. Why not spend some time working out in the early morning sunlight as it reduces melatonin production during the day? After a rigorous workout, your body will soothe down, and you will have a decrease in the endorphin level, and you will feel sleepy.
Spend On a New Mattress and New Pillow
Doesn’t it feel ultra-comfortable to sleep on a new mattress and new pillow? The freshness that your receive is fantastic! Moreover, if you think you are not receiving the minimum amount of sleep required - 7 to 9 hours for adults, you might as well consider changing your pillows and mattress. This way, you will be able to spend some exclusive time with yourself only shopping.
Consume More Fiber
If you wish to know how to get more deep sleep, it is time you start consuming more fiber. Apart from the superb fact that it will also aid in weight loss (and who doesn’t want that??), it also helps with improving sleep quality. Studies have shown that people who consume fiber result in a prolonged time of deep sleep. During the daytime - breakfast or lunch, try incorporating more fiber into your diet, which is one of the keys to inducing deep sleep.
Stages of Sleep
Stage 1: Lightest Sleep
In stage one of the sleep cycle stages, your body starts to relax. In this stage, you experience slow eye movements and muscle spasms. It’s easy to awaken during this stage of acquiring deep sleep.
- Heartbeat and slow breathing
- Slow eye movements
- Sudden jerks
Stage 2: Light Sleep
In the second juncture of the stages of sleep, your eye movements will stop. Your heartbeat will be slower, and your body temperature will decrease.
- The heartbeat slows even more
- Eye movements stop
- Body temperature decreases
Stage 3: Deep Sleep
In the third stage of knowing how to get more deep sleep, you will encounter the actual ‘snooze mode’ or deep sleep mode. It is a crucial sleep stage as it helps you with various functions like regrowing your tissues, building bones and muscles, etc. At stage 3 of sleep, the brain waves slow down and become delta waves. It makes it difficult for you to wake up. It’s not easy to wake up from deep sleep, but if you do, you feel groggy.
- Heartbeat and breathing at lowest.
- Tissues repair and regrow.
Stage 4: REM, Deep Sleep
The last stage is the deepest stage of sleep. Your brain is the most active; it forms memories and experiences transparent dreams—your eye movements, breathing, and heart rate increase at this stage.
- Blood pressure increases.
- Dreams and memories form.
Importance of Deep Sleep
Deep sleep is something most people desire because of its ample benefits. Most people complain that they don’t get enough sleep and wish to fall asleep faster. The reason is that deep sleep provides the body with immense relief.
- During a deep sleep state, glucose metabolism amplifies short-term and long-term memory and overall learning
- People often question how to get better sleep because deep sleep enables the pituitary gland to promote human growth hormone leading to body development and overall growth.
- You should always opt for the best way to sleep in deep sleep mode as the latter promotes energy restoration
- How you sleep matters enormously because it is only when you get a deep sleep that your body undergoes cell regeneration
- What happens when you sleep in a deep state? Your body increases blood supply to muscles
- You should know how to improve sleep because deep sleep promotes the growth of tissues and bones
- And what else does deep sleep benefit from? Bolstering the immune system
How Much Deep Sleep Do You Need?
How much REM sleep do you need? Or in simpler words, how much sleep do you need in the deep state? Well, an average adult requires deep sleep of around 1.6 to 2.25 hours, a baby requires 2.4 to 3.6 hours of deep sleep, children receive 2.2 to 2.8 hours of sleep, and teenagers require 1.7 to 2 hours of deep sleep.
Though it should be noted, the amount of deep sleep your body needs entirely depends on your age. The older you get, the lesser amount of deep sleep your body will require.
| Age Group | Sleep Needed (Hours) | Deep Sleep Needed (Hours) |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn to 3 Months | 12 – 18 | 2.4 – 3.6 |
| 3 Months to 1-Year-Old | 14 – 15 | 2.8 – 3.0 |
| 1 to 3 Years Old | 12 – 14 | 2.4 – 2.8 |
| 3 to 5 Years Old | 11 – 13 | 2.2 – 2.6 |
| 5 to 12 Years Old | 10 – 11 | 2 – 2.2 |
| 12 to 18 Years Old | 8.5 – 10 | 1.7 – 2 |
| Over 18 Years Old | 7.5 – 9 | 1.5 – 1.8 |
What Happens if You Don’t Get Enough Deep Sleep?
Deep sleep helps in processing the information you get each day. Without enough deep sleep, the brain cannot convey information to your memory. In short, it’s not good for your memory.
If you do not sleep enough, you can have the following disorders:
- Heart disease
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Heart stroke
- Diabetes
- Dementia
- High blood pressure
- Migraines
- Mood swings
- Obesity
How to Know How Much Deep Sleep You Are Getting?
It’s simple. If you wake up feeling exhausted, you most certainly did not get enough deep sleep.
You can use sleep tracking applications to record your sleeping habits and duration. These mobile applications can help you gain insight into your sleeping and help you know the areas for improvement. Your sleep doctor may recommend a polysomnography (PSG) test. You can also use online sleep calculators to decide your sleeping duration.
Now that you know how to get more deep sleep, it is time you start implementing the same. It is of utmost importance to find the right nighttime routine, essential oils, consume more fiber, keep the bedroom cool and dark, and so more. Your health needs to be prioritized, and having a deep sleep is what you need in plenty.
