How to Become a Deep Sleeper? - Your Sleep Quality Trumps Your Sleep Quantity

Deep sleep can be defined as the state of lowest brain activity soon after you fall asleep. It is also regarded as slow-wave sleep. Though people stay asleep for a lot of hours, sleep quality is the highest during slow-wave sleep. The difference between brain wave activity in a deep sleeper and a light sleeper is based on lifestyle choices. Irrespective of learning good sleep habits during early life, the sleep quality might degrade with time due to fluctuations in the apparent sleep cycle.

Now that you have understood the importance of deeper sleep, it would be easier to attain sleep stability.

Is it good to be a deep sleeper?

A person's ability to fall asleep right after hitting the bed does not decide the sleep quality. People generally sleep once they are entirely exhausted or after taking some sleep medicine. The former case might ensure deep sleep at times but all stages of human life. It is necessary to take steps in the right direction if you have trouble sleeping each night. Unfortunately, once light sleeping becomes a habit, it isn't easy to convert it into a deep, restful sleep. The essence of having good sleep habits lies in the fact that sleep disorders can be prevented. Set your goal high to attain exceptional sleep quality.

Which environmental factors affect Good Sleep?

To understand sleep, you first need to understand what keeps you away from a good night's sleep. Apart from the temperature and lighting conditions, other atmospheric factors affect sleep quality. Light sleepers might be disturbed even by the slightest noise. Wellness professionals, therefore, suggest minimizing any signs of predictable or monotonous noise. This will reduce certain provoking factors like fear (which indirectly induces sleep apnea).

A good night's sleep is characterized by a peaceful environment and the duration for which the person sleeps. Even if the duration is optimum, sleep cycles can only be balanced if you can prevent sudden waking by controlling the surroundings.

All About Stages of Sleep

Four prominent stages of sleep keep alternating and subsequently repeating throughout the average eight to ten-hour stretch each night. Have a look -

NREM Stage 1

NREM sleep is characterized by the shift from being awake to being asleep. The sleep quality is dependent upon this transition phase as well. Non-rapid eye movement is due to slow brain wave activity. This period subsides within ten to twelve minutes.

If the transition is disturbed, the person might have a difficult time sleeping again. A sound sleep is still possible post this phase.

NREM Stage 2

NREM sleep during the second stage leads to loss of consciousness. It has no relation with sleep quality. It is simply a connecting phase between light sleep and deep sleep. Sleep spindles are most commonly detected during this stage.

The signs are so subtle that they are not felt - muscles relax, body temperature drops, and breathing slows down.

NREM Stage 3

Non-rapid eye movement manifests into the most profound form of sleep during the third phase, which is the last in this category. REM sleep follows this phase. Therefore, the body gets ready for the following significant change.

REM Sleep

Sleep spindles during EEG mainly focus on the rapid eye movement phase. Dreams happen during this time as the whole body is disengaged. The final REM stage is also characterized by increased brain activity. More sleep spindles occur if this stage lasts longer than half of the sleep duration.

Sleep Disorder: Light Sleep vs. Deep Sleep

More profound and lighter sleep is not the only end. You can even be medically reviewed to examine whether you are a light or heavy sleeper. At some time, you can even keep track of the days when you get enough sleep or if there is any history of sleep disorders.

It is believed that a sleep disorder stems from years of light sleep. Therefore, attaining REM sleep is equally essential for preventing sleep disorders. Another correlation is based on the immune function of a light sleeper.

If you feel like you are experiencing some symptoms of any such disorder, immediately go through trustworthy health information and match it with your data.

Steps to Improve Sleep Quality

There is a minor relation here - people keep getting stressed regarding their sleep quality, and this stress, in turn, further degrades their sleep quality. To break free of this cycle, take a note of the following easy yet effective steps -

Step 1:

Stay away from all forms of blue light for a few hours before sleeping (it is a proven fact that blue light reduces the production of sleep-inducing hormones). Sleep quality will improve slowly and gradually.

Step 2:

Listen to some white noise at loud volume as it is beneficial for a light sleeper. There are a lot of compositions available online these days, right at your fingertips.

Step 3:

Read about sleep as it will update you regarding spontaneous brain rhythms (essential for assessing sleep quality). Remember that persistence is the key.

Step 4:

Manage settings related to notifications or other disturbances before you doze off. You can even customize sleep quality assessment apps using personal data.

This will ensure that you have a clear idea regarding the brain basics associated with better sleep quality, as per the readings of the respective application.

Relation of Deep Sleep with Health and Wellness

Your health and wellness are directly dependent on the amount of REM sleep you get throughout your life. Dreams happen vigorously during this stage and allow you to break from reality, thereby reducing stress levels.

A light sleeper might find it easy to fall asleep, but the quality withers away with the progression of sleep stages. The following points might help you establish a clear relation -

• Blood pressure is regulated (medically reviewed fact)
• Muscles relax, and torn muscles are repaired at a faster rate as compared to the rate in light sleepers
• More sleep spindles are produced
• Brain wave activity is considerably reduced, leading to better retention of facts.
• Breathing slows down, which indicates that the heavy-duty heart also gets some rest.

Conclusion

Next time you have trouble falling asleep, simply follow the steps mentioned, and you will no longer be a light sleeper. Here is a pro tip as well - mask unexpected sounds using noise-cancellation devices or white noise machines.

Do not forget to explore some medically reviewed products which aid in quickly attaining the stage of REM sleep. We hope you found this article helpful.