All sleep isn’t the same. REM, or rapid eye movement, is an important sleep stage. But the right amount of stage 3 of NREM sleep, also known as deep sleep, is crucial to a good night’s sleep and your overall health. Deep sleep helps to restore both your body and your brain — while light sleep can drain your energy levels. Feeling rested is impossible without the proper amount of deep sleep. Luckily, these tips will help you discover how to get more of that deep sleep.
Track sleep
The best way to head towards a good night’s sleep is to understand how much deep sleep and lack of sleep you’re getting. The Eight Sleep Pod has built-in piezo sensors that compile and analyze your sleep data nightly. You can view a full sleep report on the app and see how much deep sleep you’re averaging per night and track your sleep patterns.
Relax
Taking time to unwind before bed keeps your brain from staying awake late into the night thinking about daily life stressors. Whether through meditation, journaling or a number of other relaxation methods, it’s important to calm your brain activity and body before bed.
No bright lights
You probably know by now that screen time before bed can lead to sleep deprivation. But those late-night Netflix binges prevent you from getting deeper sleep more than you may realize. The blue light emitted from screens throws off your body’s internal clock or circadian rhythm. Your brain is tricked into believing it’s not night time because of the light, confusing your sleep-wake cycle.
Maintain a healthy diet
A healthy diet is key to a healthy sleep schedule. Avoid heavy foods like ice cream and pasta before bed. Caffeine should also be avoided at least two hours before you plan on going to bed. Besides caffeine, alcohol can also be detrimental to sleep. Cut out that nightcap when possible. Alcohol often makes you fall asleep easier, but it makes it harder for you to stay asleep throughout the night.
Keep bedtime consistent
Maintaining a sleep schedule is exactly how to get more deep sleep. Although it may be tempting to stay up later and sleep in on weekends, waking up and going to bed at roughly the same time every day can help you sleep better. Your circadian rhythm gets thrown off when you go to sleep at vastly different times. In order to ensure your body stays in deep sleep for the right amount of time, keep your sleep schedule consistent.
Manage temperature
If you struggle with waking up too hot or cold during the night, you’re not alone. Body temperature is one of the biggest issues affecting sleep quality, leading to frequent interruptions and thus reducing periods of deep sleep. The Pod learns your temperature preferences and then adjusts the thermal environment on either side of the bed automatically, so you can fall asleep faster and stay in deep sleep without disturbance.
The key to avoiding sleep disorders and gaining quality sleep lies in the habits you build for yourself before night time. You’ll improve your long-term memory, blood pressure and energy levels with restful sleep. Lead yourself towards restorative sleep with the tips we mentioned above or use sleep trackers and gadgets to assist you towards good sleep.
