Sleep isn’t just the cousin of death. It’s also the best friend of low stress, great health, and restoration.
You need to sleep in order to remain on top of your goals even on a daily basis. How do you get more deep sleep?
There are dozens of ways to change your lifestyle to get a deeper sleep each night. Here’s an overview of steps you can take to get better quality sleep.
The Phases of Sleep
There are two main cycles of sleep: REM and Non-REM. REM means rapid eye movement where your eyes won’t keep still while you sleep. They quickly dart from one direction to another for most of the night.
During Non-REM sleep, you fall into a much more active sleep even though your eyes become still. Non-REM sleep is when you dream.
Non-REM sleep is much shorter than REM sleep and is a much deeper sleep cycle. It’s made up of three separate phases.
During the first phase, you’re still asleep but it’s very easy to wake up. This first stage can last upwards of 15 minutes.
Next, you’re in a light sleep temporarily while your body prepares to go into a deeper sleep. During this second phase, you’ll experience a dip in body temperature.
The final phase of Non-REM sleep is when you’ve reached a point of deep sleep where it would be hard to wake you. Non-REM sleep is one of the most important sleep cycles because its when cells regenerate in the body.
Expect to feel rejuvenated when you have consistent Non-REM sleep every night. Your immune system is strengthened and the body has a chance to rebuild muscle and bone.
How Do You Get More Deep Sleep?
Good sleep habits don’t just happen. You have to make a conscious effort to help your body find its way into a healthy sleeping pattern.
Once your body knows there’s a consistently peaceful environment to rest, you’ll experience a much more reliable sleep pattern. The practice of protecting your sleep habits is called sleep hygiene.
Once you develop sleep hygiene, it means getting a deeper more fulfilling sleep each night. Try some of these methods to improve the quality of your sleep.
Tea Time
A warm, decaffeinated beverage is a great option to start preparing for bed. It’s a good idea to time this beverage so it won’t have you up in the middle of the night.
Aim for an herbal tea around 2 hours before you go to sleep. Any closer to bedtime and you’ll have to wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.
Make yourself go before bed even if you don’t feel like it. It’s better to avoid any potential disruption if possible.
If you hate herbal tea, you can also try something soothing like almond milk or dairy milk. Both help to lower your anxiety before bed helping your brain become drowsy faster.
Bath or Shower
The hot water from a bath or shower is hard to replace as a way to prepare the body for bed. Think of how babies fall fast asleep after being fed and bathed at night.
Babies are known for getting long hours of deep sleep each night as their little bodies continue to grow. The warm water of a shower acts as a therapy for lowering anxiety so you fall into a deeper sleep more quickly than if your muscles weren’t soothed.
Establish a Routine
Your brain looks for routines throughout the day and prepares for those patterns. Think of negative things that happen throughout the day and how your brain seems to anticipate these things during a certain time of the day.
For example, a standing morning meeting with your boss where you’re always criticized might bring anxiety each morning when you enter the office. Your memories trigger a physical reaction in your body and you’re sweating even though it’s the middle of winter.
Use this tool to help your body relax for bed. Try going to bed at the same time each night and wake up each morning at the same time.
Your sleep and wake cycle will eventually become consistent without the help of an alarm clock.
Meditation
When you do head off to bed, make sure you aren’t thinking about the stress of the day.
Any anxiety from the news or an argument earlier in the day will only sabotage your sleep.
Consider a meditation app to help you still your mind before bed. Meditation helps you calm your thoughts right before you lie down. Just five minutes of deep breathing calms down your to-do list racing through your mind for the next day.
Aromatherapy
Research shows that certain smells can bring to mind feelings of drowsiness. Consider burning a candle with a soothing scent like lavender to help you get into a deep sleep.
Just remember not to fall asleep with the candle on. There are no-flame options like oil-based diffusers that can be plugged into a wall at bedtime.
Some last for months at a time so you won’t have to worry about replacing it too often. Items like a memory foam seat cushion might come already scented so you won’t need to apply additional fragrances.
Getting More Deep Sleep
How do you get more deep sleep? The answer lies in how calming an environment you can create around bedtime.
Avoid making big decisions close to bedtime as it’ll likely keep you up at night thinking. For more information and tips, visit our blog for updates.
