Deep Sleep’s Definition and Importance
Want to know the benefits deep sleep offers us? Then keep reading!
Deep sleep is a type of sleep that is also known as slow-wave sleep. It is a stage of non-rapid eye movement or NREM sleep that normally happens in the third stage of one’s sleep cycle. The whole body stays in the most relaxed stage during this type of sleep, and it is hard to wake up even from noisy sounds. The heart rate and also breathing rate are much lower during this sleep stage. Body muscles and eyes are also relaxed, and brain waves are slower too.
This sleep happens for a longer time in the first half of your sleep, and the longest deep sleep will happen when you fall asleep. This step lasts from 45 to 90 minutes and will get smaller with every sleep cycle till it stops.
Why Do We Need Deep Sleep?
All human beings require sleep to keep their body in a healthy state. Deep sleep is a sleep stage that helps us consolidate our memories and recharge our brain and whole body. Children grow up by building their body while sleeping. We also need to sleep well to lose weight.
Sleep works as an essential function that allows our body and mind to recharge. People feel refreshed after a good amount of sleep. Additionally, the body becomes healthy, which decreases the chances of diseases. If one does not get enough sleep, their brains will not work properly, damaging the ability to concentrate and think properly.
The Benefits of Deep Sleep
Deep sleep is a good restorative sleep stage. Our bodies work to grow and repair throughout the period of deep sleep, which is very important for recovery. Also, our body restores energy during this stage of sleep. So when you feel like you are feeling tired in the morning, it means that you did not have enough deep sleep.
Hormones from the pituitary gland eject all over the body during this stage. These hormones have a bigger role in growing and developing the body. Additionally, deep sleep restores energy, regenerates cells, and repairs tissues. Blood is sent to your muscles to heal muscular issues and improve the nervous and immune system.
Importance of Deep Sleep
We process information in our brain during this sleep cycle, in addition to the physiological benefits of deep sleep. If we somehow lack this, it will result in no conversion of the pieces of information you have received in that day’s memory. This is why studying for the whole night before the exam is very bad and does not work very well.
Deep sleep is extremely important for mental and physical health, and not getting it properly will cause health problems in one’s later life. A study by the Washington University School of Medicine found out that not getting enough sleep has a connection to Alzheimer’s disease because of the brain protein called tau. And regular bad sleep puts people at risk of serious medical conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Total Sleep Needed for Well-Being
Almost 13 to 23 percent of full sleep is deep sleep. The whole sleep is made of 75% of non-REM sleep and 25% REM sleep; deep sleep is a part of the non-REM sleep. Everyone needs to sleep in their cozy home for the good development of the body.
As mentioned above, deep sleep is responsible for the growth and repair of the body and brain. Young people need more deep sleep than adults. The children and babies only need 2 to 3 hours of deep sleep each night, where the adults only need 1 to 2 hours. Lastly, older people and pensioners only need less sleep overall.
Track Your Deep Sleep
The easy and best way to precisely track how much deep sleep you get is using a sleep or fitness tracker. These trackers use your heart rate and its movements to count how long you spend in the sleep stage and show you the average sleep needed for you.
If you feel very tired the next day, it indicates that you have not got enough sleep. So you have to get enough sleep to stay healthy for the next day and improve the overall quality of your sleep.
Get More Deep Sleep
Getting more shuteye in your sleep can increase the length of deep sleep you get. There are many online resources dedicated to sleep and associated issues. For instance, Rolling Paper has a variety of guides to help you learn more about how you can combat any issues relating to sleep naturally. To get more deep sleep, you can do these;
Take a bath before bed; if possible, take a hot bath because it helps with slow-wave sleep.
Have a regular bedtime schedule.
You can eat a low carbohydrate diet.
Ignore caffeine before going to bed.
Avoid exercising at night time.
Try to relax at your bedtime; for example, you can read a book or listen to soft music.
Eject any bright lights from your bedroom along with devices.
Get yourself comfier in bed.
Get Enough Sleep
At the end of the day, you have to get a night of good long sleep to stay healthy. And there are multiple signs that the body shows when it does not get enough sleep. Most noticeable of them are-
Brain fog: Your brain will feel foggy and will not focus on what you will try to do. It will lead you to do messy things.
Not being able to stay awake: Nodding often will indicate that you have not got good sleep, and your eyes will close by themselves most of the time.
Gaining weight: A hormone called leptin is responsible for indicating if we are full after eating. But if we are tired, its levels will drop and make us hungry all the time.
Feeling irritated: This is mainly caused by the point when you do not feel energized or have the concentration to handle the things you usually can.
Conclusion
Sleep is essential for us, especially if we do some tasks requiring heavy concentration and thinking. Getting the best deep sleep is vital for unlocking our full potential when doing those tasks. So get good long sleep to stay healthy and focus on your work.
