A member of our medical expert team provides a final review of the content and sources cited for every guide, article, and product review concerning medical- and health-related topics. Inaccurate or unverifiable information will be removed prior to publication. Additionally, sleep deprivation is associated with hormonal changes that drive our appetite for high-calorie food. Going short on slow-wave sleep, in particular, is believed to contribute to insulin resistance and the development of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Catching up on sleep may reverse some of these effects verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ We only cite reputable sources when researching our guides and articles. These include peer-reviewed journals, government reports, academic and medical associations, and interviews with credentialed medical experts and practitioners. To a certain extent, the body self-regulates deep sleep. For example, you might spend more time in deep sleep if you are recovering from a period of sleep deprivation. By contrast, people who nap frequently may experience less deep sleep, as part of their deep sleep needs have already been fulfilled during the day.

Besedovsky, L., Lange, T., & Born, J. (2012). Sleep and immune function. Pflügers Archiv: European Journal of Physiology, 463(1), 121–137. Once you fall asleep, your body cycles through three non rapid eye movement (NREM) stages of sleep followed by one rapid eye movement (REM) stage. It usually takes between 90 and 120 minutes Consensus Conference Panel, Watson, N. F., Badr, M. S., Belenky, G., Bliwise, D. L., Buxton, O. M., Buysse, D., Dinges, D. F., Gangwisch, J., Grandner, M. A., Kushida, C., Malhotra, R. K., Martin, J. L., Patel, S. R., Quan, S. F., Tasali, E., Non-Participating Observers, Twery, M., Croft, J. B., Maher, E., … Heald, J. L. (2015). Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: A joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 11(6), 591–592.

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Typically you descend into deep sleep within an hour of falling asleep, and experience progressively shorter periods of deep sleep as the night wears on. During this stage, automatic body functions like breathing and heart rate are also very slow and your muscles are relaxed. It can be difficult for someone to wake you up, and waking up out of deep sleep may make you feel mentally foggy for up to an hour. How Much Deep Sleep is Enough?

National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source Typically, you descend into deep sleep within an hour of falling asleep, and experience progressively shorter periods of deep sleep as the night wears on. During deep sleep, body functions like breathing and heart rate are also very slow and your muscles are relaxed. It can be difficult for someone to wake you up, and waking up out of deep sleep may make you feel mentally foggy for up to an hour. What Are the Stages of Sleep?Because deep sleep is part of the memory formation process, you may struggle to consolidate memories after nights without enough deep sleep. Even after one night of insufficient sleep you may experience difficulty learning or remembering information. Measurements of the brain waves of sleepwalkers have found that many individuals continue to experience a certain proportion of slow waves — which are characteristic of deep sleep — during a sleepwalking episode. Adult sleepwalkers also display variances in slow-wave activity during the rest of the night. Kirsch, D. (2022, September 12). Stages and architecture of normal sleep. In S. M. Harding (Ed.). UpToDate., Retrieved March 1, 2023, from Ensuring you get sufficient sleep overall can help you get the deep sleep you need. By establishing consistent sleep and wake times, you can develop a healthy sleep schedule for your body. Practicing good sleep hygiene can also help you get more sleep in total. Healthy sleep habits include: Ju, Y. S., Ooms, S. J., Sutphen, C., Macauley, S. L., Zangrilli, M. A., Jerome, G., Fagan, A. M., Mignot, E., Zempel, J. M., Claassen, J., & Holtzman, D. M. (2017). Slow wave sleep disruption increases cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-β levels. Brain: A Journal of Neurology, 140(8), 2104–2111.

The Sleep Foundation editorial team is dedicated to providing content that meets the highest standards for accuracy and objectivity. Our editors and medical experts rigorously evaluate every article and guide to ensure the information is factual, up-to-date, and free of bias. to cycle through all four stages, after which the cycle starts again. Adults typically have four to six cycles per night. In the first half of the night you spend more time in NREM sleep. However, as the night goes on, you spend more and more time in REM sleep. St-Onge, M. P., Roberts, A., Shechter, A., & Choudhury, A. R. (2016). Fiber and saturated fat are associated with sleep arousals and slow wave sleep. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 12(01), 19–24.Take a warm bath: Heating your body at least an hour before bedtime may help induce slow-wave sleep. The warmth from the bath draws heat to your hands and feet which then dissipates. The process allows you to cool down to a comfortable temperature for sleeping. Halson, S. L., & Juliff, L. E. (2017). Sleep, sport, and the brain. Progress in Brain Research, 234, 13–31. Researchers suggest that deep sleep plays a role in preparing your synapses for the next day. Put another way, your brain evaluates new memories and then preserves and consolidates Stage 2: In this stage of light sleep, your breathing and heart rate slow even more. Your temperature drops, and your muscles relax. Stage 2 sleep lasts longer in each cycle throughout the night. About half of your total sleep

to vaccines and leave you more vulnerable to infection. During deep sleep, potentially harmful waste products are eliminated from the brain. As a result, disruptions to deep sleep may also drive advancement of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’sStage 1: This brief, drowsy stage marks the transition to sleep, when your breathing and heartbeat start to slow down.