What Is Deep Sleep & How Much Do I Need?

August 5, 2022

Sleep is the body's most basic function for healing and regenerating itself, but sometimes, it's not that easy to drift off and sleep peacefully. People ask us how to improve deep sleep and how to improve sleep quality, so we thought we'd first focus on what deep sleep actually is, and how much do we need?

You can read further to learn more about what is going on inside your magnificent brain.

Sleep stages

When humans sleep, we drift through four sleep stages, including non-REM (N1, N2, N3) and REM sleep, all of which play a role in your health and wellness. The first two non-REM stages play valuable roles in resting our minds and usually account for a major portion of sleep at night.

REM sleep is one of the major stages that the body needs to heal regularly, but it's the third stage of a sleep cycle, deep sleep, which plays the most significant role in overall health and wellness.

Let's take a closer look into deep sleep and sine ideas of ways to improve sleep ahead.

What is deep sleep?

Let's put our neuroscience hats on for a moment. During deep sleep, your body experiences healing effects; this is typically where your mind, muscles, and body are repaired. Brain waves are at their slowest during this phase. 'Slow wave' sleep is where the body goes through complete muscle relaxation, and hormones are released. Specifically, growth hormones associated with deep sleep are released during this phase and may play a role in your body's healing.

When you first fall asleep at night, you ascend from light non-REM stages and into a deep sleep within an hour or so. The breathing rate tends to slow, and the heart rate lowers since muscle activity slows during this time. As the night progresses, deep sleep shortens with each cycle until the morning arrives.

How much deep sleep do I need?

The typical adult should aim for about 7-9 hours of restful sleep each night. Each night, the body experiences about four or five full sleep cycles, which include REM sleep and deep sleep stages. It is suggested that Adults should spend about 25% of each night in deep sleep to maximize body repair, help tissue growth, muscle and bone formation, and optimize the immune system. While each night varies in the amount of sleep you get, there are ways to maximize the amount of average deep sleep you get.

How do I get better deep sleep? If I am struggling to sleep, what can I do?

Trouble sleeping is a common problem in today's society; many people are searching for better deep sleep or help with sleep disorders. In the search for natural remedies for deep sleep, it can be tempting to just reach for OTC sleep supplements or synthetic melatonin, but these won't solve the problem of bad sleep in the long run. You can do some things yourself to promote better overall sleep, REM sleep, and deep sleep.

Check out 5 ways to increase deep sleep for better brain health for our top tips for better sleep. We look at bedtime routine, sleep hygiene, what to do close to bedtime, and more.

Ideally, your brain should be producing enough natural melatonin by itself to induce sleep. We have pioneered a trailblazing drink for sleep, DELTA, as an alternative to artificial melatonin and its side effects.

DELTA is a delicious drink made from a formula of amino acids glycine and tryptophan, essential fatty acids, and vitamins that help you stimulate your natural melatonin and serotonin production. The ingredients work together to recalibrate your sleep cycle, increase your amount of deep sleep and promote quality sleep. For more information about DELTA, please visit our product pages.

Wrapping it up

Research shows sleep is an essential body function and is necessary for optimal health and wellness. While the body cycles through all stages of sleep at night, it is essential to maximize the amount of average deep sleep to feel your best, physically and mentally. You can help your natural melatonin levels with a more natural way to approach sleep aids, rather than relying on melatonin supplements.

Consider DELTA to help you enhance your slumber at night and stay in deep sleep longer.

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We hope this has helped you on your quest for good sleep. If you have any questions about our products, feel free to reach out to our team.

A drink called DELTA by BrainLuxury that helps promote deep sleep