Experts suggest that the ‘sweet spot’ lies between 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Although this looks good in literature, the truth is that life easily gets in the way. Even though this number of hours seem plenty to you, your mind and body are quite busy while sleeping. This makes you more productive, energetic, revitalized and prepared for the day coming. It also serves a crucial role in regulating your biological time, so you feel well-rested in the morning.
What is deep sleep?
Deep sleep is often defined as a time of just about complete detachment from the encircling. Deep sleep is correlated with the slowest brain waves while sleeping. Also, the EEG (Electroencephalograph) activity is synchronized during this point, thus called slow-wave sleep. These waves have a comparatively high amplitude and a frequency under 1 Hz. The main features of deep sleep are absent or slow eye movement, moderate muscular movement & tone, and lack of genital activity.
Why maybe a deep ‘Zzz’ necessary?
It just simply does “everything”. It contributes to physical, social, and mental health in extremely useful ways. It helps in the presumed restoration of the body and brain. Here are a few other significances:
- Helps store new memories of the day (“sleep-dependent memory processing”)
- Gives rest to your mind
- Hormonal regulation
- Strengthening of the immune system
- Keeps blood glucose down, thus reducing weight
- Reduces probability of developing a chronic disease
What are the different stages of deep sleep?
Sleep therapists at Medsbasket say that while you’re sleeping, your body cycles through four stages. Consider them as levels during a video game — all of them build each other, and you wish one to make progress to the subsequent step.
Stages one to three are referred to as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and the fourth stage is named rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
Stage 1
This stage comprises the primary 10 minutes during which the body transitions between its waking state and sleeping state. You calm down your brain and ignore the approaching to-dos. Breathing slows down, and muscles relax.
Stage 2
The Body progresses towards a deeper and more relaxed condition. Stage 2 lasts for around 30 minutes to an hour. Slow brain activity kicks in and shows deep and restful sleep.
Stage 3
Stays for around 20 to 40 minutes when the body has reached the deep sleep stage. This stage is thought of as slow-wave sleep because of slow brain activity. Brain waves slow down and the brain becomes less conscious of outer interruptions.
Stage 4 (REM SLEEP)
This can be considered as a super deep phase of sleep. Muscles become nearly immobilized, while eyes move rapidly behind the eyelids. Here, the brain becomes more active, and folks experience vivid dreams. Pulse rate together with breathing speeds up. REM sleep usually comes 90 minutes after you go to sleep. You can’t reach deep sleep without experiencing the lighter stages first, which is why doctors recommend a minimum of seven uninterrupted hours of shut-eye per night.
What if one cannot get a deep sleep?
Deep sleep is as important as having food and water. Sleep deprivation can cause some serious side effects, which include:
- memory troubles
- weakened immunity
- trouble concentrating
- sleep eating
- high blood pressure level
- weight gain
- risk for diabetes
- low sex drive
- risk of the heart condition
- early aging
How to Get More of it?
By paying close attention to your daily routine, you’ll identify the causes of your poor sleep and work to form more positive habits. You don’t need to hand over cold brew entirely, but maybe you’ll come to wish for it slightly less.
1. Set a bedtime
A proper routine can help your body understand when it’s time to get going and when it’s time to nod-off each night. It will also assist you to avoid the temptation to work out that one extra episode of “Game of Thrones” before turning off the lights.
2. Try not to nap unnecessarily
Be careful not to sleep a lot during the day so that it doesn’t keep you from sleeping a full night.
3. Avoid screens before bed
Put your phone and laptop far from a minimum of an hour before bed (or earlier if you can) and check out reading a book by lamplight instead. This can be a difficult adjustment initially, but with time, you’ll grow to love your new reading practice.
4. Avoid fats at dinner
Healthy fats are great for you, but not necessarily all the time. It is observed that eating large amounts of fat in the day can prevent your body from getting the deep sleep it needs. Opt for fibrous foods, including many vegetables, and save the avocado for your morning smoothie.
5. Take deep breaths
Sleeplessness isn’t any fun, but it’s also not the highest on the earth. Rather than lying on bed and feeling anxious, practice deep breathing and remind yourself that the worst-case scenario isn’t that bad.
6. Get treated for daytime sleepiness
The problem of narcolepsy (daytime sleepiness) can be treated by using Waklert 150 mg tablets which improve wakefulness and help you stay awake and reduce the tendency to sleep off during the day, thus restoring the standard sleep cycle. You may feel more energetic and may be able to perform better in your daily activities. Talk to your sleep therapist regarding the same.
How much deep sleep is enough?
About 13 to 23 percent of your sleep is deep sleep, with healthy adults. So, that’s roughly 62 to 110 minutes, if you sleep for 8 hours a night. This stage of sleep also helps the brain rest and get over on a daily basis of thinking, allowing it to replenish energy within the type of glucose for the next day.
Importantly, an individual has got to get enough deep sleep for these functions to require place. The quantity of deep sleep that an individual has will relate to what proportion of overall sleep they get. Sleeping 7 to 9 hours is what is recommended for many adults, which can usually provide the body those deeper states of sleep.
Babies need it the most, spending about 16 of every 24 hours sleep as in their early growing stages. Approximately 50 percent of their total sleep is spent within the REM stage, while the rest 50 percent is distributed between stages 1 through 4 and NREM sleep that cycles between light and deep.
If you are unable to get proper sleep, the next time body will compensate for it by moving through sleep cycles even faster, which can eventually affect normal brain functions.
Summary
While all the stages are equally important, deep sleep is the most essential of all for a proper restful body. On average, an adult gets roughly 1 to 2 hours of deep sleep per night. However, if the person regularly doesn’t get enough deep sleep, this might affect the brain. The body may find it difficult to store new memories if you skip a deep sleep, you made that day. As people say, ‘things end but memories last forever’. So, make sure you get a sound deep sleep.