One of the most common questions we get asked is “Why do I get so little deep sleep? I wake up so exhausted every morning, and it feels like I never sleep enough to actually rest. Why is that?”
Below, we’re going to take a closer look at what deep sleep is, how much the average person gets at night, and what commonly impairs deep sleep. We won’t just answer the question “Why do I get so little deep sleep?”—we’ll help you figure out what you can do to sleep more and better every night!
Why Do I Get So Little Deep Sleep?
To answer this question, we need to first understand what deep sleep is and how much you typically get at night.
The term “deep sleep” refers to the slow-wave stages of sleep when there is slow electrical brain activity, typically called Stages 3 and 4 of Non-REM sleep.
Most people experience deep sleep during the first 33% of the night—shortly after they fall asleep, and for the first few hours of sleep. However, deep sleep naturally decreases over the course of the night, until you’re sleeping much more lightly during the early morning (when you’re most prone to waking up).
We typically have a lot more deep sleep when we are children, but as we age, deep sleep decreases naturally. In one study, middle-aged men (37 to 54 years old) spent roughly 11.2% of their night in deep sleep, while middle-aged women spend 14.2% in deep sleep. Men over the age of 70 typically experienced just 5.5% of their night in deep sleep, while women spent 17.2% in deep sleep.
What this means is that you’re naturally going to get less deep sleep as you age. This is unfortunate, because deep sleep is when your body makes most of its recovery from the previous day’s exercise, activity, release of hormones, and brain usage.
Deep sleep:
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Helps your body build muscle mass after exercise
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Repairs the wear and tear on your body
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Increases blood flow to your muscles
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Clears metabolic waste from your brain via your lymphatic system
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Enhances brain function
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Optimizes your immune system
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Refuels your cells with new energy
As you can see, it’s a VERY important part of your sleep.
So you may be wondering, “Why do I get so little deep sleep? I feel like I’m tossing and turning and sleeping so lightly every night!”
Well, there are a number of things that can interfere with your deep sleep:
Reduced “Sleep Drive” – Your “sleep drive” is your body’s likelihood of falling asleep throughout the day or night. Napping during the day or sleeping on the wrong schedule can reduce your sleep drive at night, making it harder for your body to slip into deep sleep.
Caffeine – Caffeine stimulates your nervous system and can impair your ability to sleep deeply, even hours after you last drank.
Sleep Disorders – Sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and periodic limb movements of sleep can wake you up frequently throughout the night, disrupting your sleep and stopping you from spending enough time in deep sleep.
Medications – Certain medications can negatively impact your sleep quality. Opioids and benzodiazepine are both known to reduce deep sleep.
Knowing that these things can impair your deep sleep, it’s important that you find solutions that will ENCOURAGE greater sleep quality, and help you spend more time in the stages of deep sleep.
We’ve got a few solutions for you:
Stick to a schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends. This will train your circadian rhythms and “reset” your sleep patterns, helping you to more naturally transition between the various stages of sleep.
Increase your sleep drive. Spend less time napping during the day and follow a consistent sleep schedule that helps you feel sleepy and get to sleep at night. Spending more time awake will help to increase your sleep drive and make it easier to nod off when it’s time for bed.
Exercise during the day. Exercise not only drains your energy and makes you tired at night, but it helps to balance out your hormones (which play an important role in your sleep quality) and encourages better production of sleep hormones and neurochemicals. Including a workout into your day (at least 5 days per week) will go a long way toward helping you get more deep sleep.
Avoid stimulants. Try to cut caffeine out of your afternoons and evenings so their effects on your nervous system will be fully worn off by the time you get to bed.
Warm up before bed. Take a warm bath (around 95 F) in the evening, or snuggle under a warm, weighted blanket. Getting warm before bed will actually encourage better sleep and help you spend more time in deep sleep early in the night.
A few simple tricks, but they can make a huge difference in your sleep every night.
Why Do I Get So Little Deep Sleep? Treat the Problem with Pure Sleep!
If you want to sleep better, you might want to try a sleep supplement made with all-natural ingredients formulated to encourage more, higher-quality rest every night.
Pure Sleep combines amazing herbal remedies—such as Magnolia Bark Extract, Ashawagandha, Valerian Root, and melatonin—to provide you with higher quality sleep, better relaxation, and an easier time falling asleep. Best of all, it’s 100% natural and organic, delivering the high quality you need to ensure you’re getting the best bang for your buck.
Now that you know the answer to the question, “Why do I get so little deep sleep?” it’s time to take action and address the problem using Pure Sleep.
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