5 Ways to Get More Deep Sleep

If you only measure the total hours of sleep you get each night, it helps to understand sleep stages, too. How well you sleep, including how much deep sleep you get, matters along with how long you sleep.

In this article, we cover the science of sleep stages and your circadian rhythm. We’ll be covering what deep sleep really is, and how much of it you need to improve your overall health. Plus, we provide pointers to teach you how to fall into a deep sleep.

Ready to get more deep sleep? Consider these tips to help you get started.

1. Set a Schedule

To get enough deep sleep, plan ahead and get enough total sleep each night. Your body tries to get as much deep sleep as possible early in the night ¹ Verified Source Cleveland Clinic A nonprofit academic medical center known for patient care, research and medical education. See the source , but a short night still cuts into your sleep overall. The CDC recommends that adults ages 18 to 60 get at least seven hours of sleep a night ² Verified Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The U.S. federal public health agency. See the source .

We recommend developing a bedtime routine and improving sleep hygiene, too. Choosing a few nighttime activities to help you wind down sets the tone that it’s time for rest. These can include a warm shower, relaxation techniques, or reading a book. Once you devise a routine, stick with it as best you can, and go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends ³ Verified Source American Academy of Sleep Medicine (SleepEducation.org) The patient education site of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. See the source .

2. Exercise

Research suggests regular exercise can improve sleep quality ⁴ Verified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH) World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible. See the source , and moderate aerobic exercise may increase the amount of deep sleep you get ⁵ Verified Source Johns Hopkins Medicine An academic medical center known for patient care, research and medical education. See the source . Try building time into your day for aerobic exercise, such as:

• Running
• Jogging
• Swimming

If you want to use exercise to improve your night’s sleep, just remember to time your workout right. Evening exercise generally doesn’t harm sleep, but vigorous exercise that ends within about an hour of bedtime may make it harder to fall asleep ⁶ Verified Source Sports Medicine (Springer) A peer-reviewed sports medicine journal. See the source . If evening workouts keep you up, finish exercising at least 1 to 2 hours before bed ⁵ Verified Source Johns Hopkins Medicine An academic medical center known for patient care, research and medical education. See the source .

3. Reduce Screen Time Before Bed

Blue light suppresses melatonin production ⁷ Verified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH) World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible. See the source and can shift your circadian rhythm. Using screens in the hours before bed can make it harder to fall asleep. In one study, people who read on a light-emitting e-reader before bed took longer to fall asleep than when they read a printed book ⁸ Verified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH) World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible. See the source .

To get the best sleep, cut out blue light at least an hour before bed time. If you must use technology in that time, turn on your device’s “Night Mode” or “Night Shift” setting. One study found this setting alone may not be enough ⁹ Verified Source Lighting Research & Technology (SAGE) A peer-reviewed journal on lighting science. See the source , so lower your screen’s brightness, too.

4. Keep Your Bedroom Conducive for Sleep

Your bedroom should be conducive for sleep and free from distractions. Many sleep specialists recommend blackout curtains to block out the sun, and a cool bedroom, around 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit, works well for most people ¹⁰ Verified Source Cleveland Clinic A nonprofit academic medical center known for patient care, research and medical education. See the source .

If your room is too cold or too warm, it can wake you up uncomfortable. You can also use fans and bedding to help you get cooler or warmer.

Keep your bedroom technology-free, especially if the device emits blue-light. Leave your phone in another room and turn off the TV at least an hour before bed. Your bedroom should be designated for sleep and sleep alone, and distractions can weaken your brain’s association between the two. The only electronics you should be utilizing while at rest are sleep trackers and alarm clocks, and even those aren’t necessary.

5. Take a Warm Bath or Shower

Your core body temperature naturally drops as you get ready for sleep. A warm bath or shower before bed may help this process along. A 2019 review of studies found that a warm bath or shower of about 104 to 108.5 degrees Fahrenheit (40 to 42.5 degrees Celsius), taken 1 to 2 hours before bed for as little as 10 minutes, helped people fall asleep faster ¹¹ Verified Source Sleep Medicine Reviews (Elsevier) A peer-reviewed journal of review articles on sleep science and sleep medicine. See the source . Researchers think the warm water helps your body release heat afterward, so your core temperature drops.

If you prefer cold showers, you may want to save them for the morning. Many people describe cold showers as “energizing,” and you likely aren’t aiming to feel energized right before bed.

What Is Deep Sleep?

Your body has an internal clock known as a circadian rhythm; this controls when you wake up and when you fall asleep. Although our circadian rhythm occurs naturally, some external forces can throw it off, such as exposure to blue light before bed ¹² Verified Source Harvard Health Blog run by Harvard Medical School offering in-depth guides to better health and articles on medical breakthroughs. See the source .

While you rest, you go through different stages of sleep. Varying types of brain waves mark the differences between one sleep stage and another. Sleep has two main types: non-REM and REM sleep.

REM stands for rapid eye movement. Non-REM sleep has three stages (N1, N2, and N3), followed by REM sleep. A complete cycle takes approximately 90 minutes.

Below, we discuss the differences between each stage of sleep.

• Stage 1 (N1): This is the first stage of sleep, when you start to drift off. Although your eyes are closed, it’s easy to wake up since this is the lightest stage. Your brain activity and eye movements begin to slow. It usually lasts only a few minutes and makes up about 5% of your sleep ¹ Verified Source Cleveland Clinic A nonprofit academic medical center known for patient care, research and medical education. See the source .
• Stage 2 (N2): We move toward deeper sleep during this stage, and it’s harder to wake up. Brain activity slows, although there are specific bursts of activity known as sleep spindles. Stage 2 makes up about 45% of your sleep, more than any other stage.
• Stage 3 (N3, Deep Sleep): During this stage, brain activity consists of slow delta waves, and it’s tough to wake up. When we use the term “deep sleep,” this is the stage we are referring to. It makes up about 25% of total sleep in adults ¹ Verified Source Cleveland Clinic A nonprofit academic medical center known for patient care, research and medical education. See the source .
• REM Sleep: Brain activity increases and rapid eye movement occurs during this stage, when most dreaming happens. REM sleep also makes up about 25% of your sleep.

Why Is Deep Sleep Important?

Many people believe REM sleep is the most important stage of the nightly cycle, but deep sleep is just as important.

Your body takes advantage of deep sleep to repair injuries and reinforce your immune system ¹ Verified Source Cleveland Clinic A nonprofit academic medical center known for patient care, research and medical education. See the source . Sleep also stimulates the release of human growth hormone ¹³ Verified Source Cleveland Clinic A nonprofit academic medical center known for patient care, research and medical education. See the source , which plays a role in tissue repair throughout the body.

Your brain is busy during sleep, too. Storing memories most likely requires both non-REM and REM sleep ¹⁴ Verified Source National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH) Part of the National Institutes of Health, focused on brain and nervous system disorders. See the source , so getting enough of each helps you learn and remember.

Lastly, research has found links between deep sleep and brain health ¹⁵ Verified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH) World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible. See the source . Deep sleep naturally declines with age, and in older adults, loss of deep sleep is linked with buildup of beta-amyloid, a protein tied to Alzheimer’s disease ¹⁵ Verified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH) World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible. See the source . More broadly, ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to a higher risk of chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes ¹⁶ Verified Source National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH) Part of the National Institutes of Health, focused on heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. See the source . These studies show links, not cause and effect.
If you want to wake up feeling more well-rested, tap into your sleep cycle and get the right amount of deep sleep each night.

How Much Deep Sleep Do You Need Per Night?

It’s helpful to think about both how long you sleep and how well you sleep.

As mentioned, a sleep cycle takes, on average, 90 minutes to complete. The actual length of a sleep cycle can vary from person to person, but we’ll use that as the baseline for this example. Using this number, five cycles would take 7.5 hours to complete.

However, cycle length varies from person to person and from cycle to cycle, so you can’t precisely time your wake-up to the end of a cycle. Waking from deep sleep is more likely to leave you groggy ¹⁷ Verified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH) World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible. See the source , but most deep sleep happens early in the night, so you’re less likely to wake from it in the morning ¹ Verified Source Cleveland Clinic A nonprofit academic medical center known for patient care, research and medical education. See the source .

The CDC recommends at least seven hours of sleep a night for adults ages 18 to 60 ² Verified Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The U.S. federal public health agency. See the source . A consistent wake time and enough total sleep matter more than hitting an exact number of cycles.

There’s no official target for how many hours of deep sleep you need. In adults, deep sleep makes up about 25% of total sleep, so someone who sleeps 7 to 8 hours gets roughly 1.75 to 2 hours ¹ Verified Source Cleveland Clinic A nonprofit academic medical center known for patient care, research and medical education. See the source . You’ll naturally get less deep sleep as you get older ¹⁵ Verified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH) World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible. See the source .

Once you determine how much sleep you should get, you can set an appropriate bedtime based upon when you need to wake up.

Get a Better Night’s Sleep

If you find yourself with sleep troubles or waking up tired each morning, reflect upon your sleeping habits. How much sleep are you usually getting each night? Are you giving yourself enough time in bed to get at least seven hours of sleep?

Simply looking at when you fall asleep and when you wake up each day can highlight areas for improvement. But if that’s not enough, utilize some of our tips for better sleep to get deeper, more restorative shut-eye.

Lastly, if you’ve tried every trick of the trade to get better sleep, consider replacing your mattress. A lumpy, unsuitable, or uncomfortable mattress can counteract any efforts towards better sleep and leave you feeling grumpy and groggy in the mornings. If you still wake up tired after making these changes, talk to your doctor, since a sleep disorder could be the cause.