Getting enough sleep is important for various health-related reasons, one of them being that sleep allows the body and mind to recharge, leaving a person refreshed and alert once they wake up.
Numerous studies have shown that enough sleep helps the body remain healthy and battle off diseases – it is common knowledge that resting while fighting off the flu, for example, aids recovery.
It has also been reported in various studies that a serious lack of sleep can result in decreased brain function and a variety of other negative effects on the body.
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However, despite the important amount of research that have been conducted worldwide for several years, a lot has yet to be understood about sleep.
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For one, not many people are aware of the different sleep stages and what a healthy amount of sleep truly constitutes of.
A person might be sleeping for enough hours, but might not reach a deep sleep stage, causing them to experience a decline in their quality of life.
How much deep sleep is needed?
Studies have shown that in healthy adults, about 13-23% of their sleep, is deep sleep.
As a result, if a person sleeps for eight hours a night, the deep sleep stage should amount to approximately 62 to 110 minutes.
However, as people grow older, less deep sleep is needed. Babies and children need more deep sleep than adults, with babies spending about 16 of every 24 hours asleep.
What are the benefits of deep sleep?
The brain detoxifies
memories are consolidated
The immune system is energised
Learning and emotions process
Blood sugar levels and metabolism balance out
Physical recovery occurs
How to get more deep sleep?
There are several reasons why a person might be waking up tired in the morning and may have difficulty getting into that important deep sleep stage within the sleeping cycle.
Fortunately, there are also many methods to increase the chances of getting a good quality of sleep and a healthy amount of deep sleep.
These include:
Establishing sleep rituals and routines
Reducing stress
Brainwave entrainment
Using an eye mask to block out light
Eating a healthy and balanced diet
Sleeping in a cool room
Listening to white or pink noise
Meditation
Listening to ASMR
Drinking non-caffeinated tea such as Chamomile and Lavender
If sleeping problems persist, one should always seek the help of a specialist.
What are the sleeping stages?
Deep sleep isn't the only sleeping stage a person will go through during the night. There are five stages of sleep, and they all hold an important and specific function.
Stage 1
In the first stage of sleep, a person drifts from being awake to being asleep.
It is a light, NREM sleep that does not last very long. One may start to relax and dream, but may also twitch as they transition into the second stage of sleep.
Stage 2
This stage is still a light form of sleep, however, a person will start drifting into a steadier sleep.
Breathing and the heartbeat will slow down, and muscles will relax. The body temperature decreases, and brain waves are less active.
Stages 3
In this part of the cycle, people enter deep sleep. During deep sleep, breathing, the heartbeat, the body temperature, and brain waves reach their lowest levels.
Additionally, muscles are extremely relaxed.
Stages 4
This is the deepest sleep stage, and is known as the healing stage.
This comes as a result of it tissue growth and repair both taking place during stage four.
Moreover, important hormones are released to do their jobs, and cellular energy is restored.
REM sleep
Despite common belief that people dream during deep sleep, it is, in fact, during the fifth and last stage that dreams occur.
The arms and legs become temporarily paralysed during this stage to prevent the body from physically acting out dreams.
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