Cut down on alcohol: While alcohol might seem like it helps you fall asleep, in reality, it reduces the quality and period of deep sleep that you get.

However, it’s important to avoid caffeine at least 7 hours before you go to bed to have a good night’s sleep.

No coffee before bed: Coffee lovers might drink cups of coffee around the clock when left to their own devices.

Listen to white or pink noise: If you struggle a little with going to sleep at night, listening to some white or pink noise can help with that.

Instead of these, consume more foods that are low in fat and high in protein and fiber. One study shows that eating less fiber and more fats and sugars can cause your sleep to be more disrupted.

Have a healthy diet: There are many reasons to have a healthy diet, and getting quality sleep is one of them.

This is the stage of sleep where your brain waves are at their slowest. Deep sleep is also known as slow-wave sleep. Deep sleep is the third stage of non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep. Taking a hot shower before bed, or hitting the sauna are great ways to get some heat in. There are two main sleep stages: non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and rapid eye movement sleep (REM).

Spend some time in the sauna: Some research shows that heat can help you get better deep sleep.

Exercise: Research shows that regular exercise can increase and improve the quality of your deep sleep.Newborns, on the other hand, spend about 50% of their time in REM sleep. The older we are (post-adolescence), the less deep sleep we get. Later on, as the alcohol wears off, there are prolonged REM stages. It actually decreases REM sleep for the first two cycles or so, creating an imbalance between slow-wave sleep and REM sleep. If you continue to use this, be aware of its inherent limitations. Smartphone sleep trackers are notoriously unreliable. REM sleep, the stage that’s particularly important for mental and emotional restoration, also generally declines with age. The deepest NREM stages are the most important that's what your sleep system makes up first when sleep deprived. You may lose some of your ability to sleep normally, and as a result, you may get less deep sleep. Taking napsor spending too much time in bed can weaken your sleep drive. Many medications may influence the architecture of your sleep (6) by:ĭrugs for heart problems and blood pressure, as well as antidepressants, thyroid medications, and decongestantsĭrugs for high blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as cough medications (which suppress REM sleep)Ĭontrary to popular belief, alcohol doesn’t help you get better quality (or longer) sleep. By their early 70s, time in deep sleep may be as little as 5 percent. There are several reasons that you might not be getting enough deep sleep. Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea may cause frequent awakenings throughout the night, which can disrupt your sleep stage and overall sleep cycle. Deprivation occurs when you get fewer than eight hours of sleep a night over an extended period of time, thus disrupting sleep patterns and stages. Typically, we dream during REM sleep but not in stages 1 to 4. (5) External restrictions to sleep that cause deprivation can include everything from staying up all night to finish an assignment to working overnight as a nurse. Stage 1 is the lightest sleep state and stage 4 is the deepest.

Unlike insomnia, which occurs when you have difficulty sleeping despite an adequate opportunity to do so, sleep deprivation refers to the lack of an opportunity to satisfy the physiological need to sleep.

No deep sleep stage