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Deep sleep is the most restorative and important stage of a sleep cycle, but we don't always get enough to reap its full benefits. Here's our top 10 tips for getting more deep sleep.
6 Min Read | By Shannan Humphrey
Last Modified 9 June 2025 First Added 9 June 2025
Getting enough deep sleep is essential, not just for your physical health, but for your mood, focus, and ability to show up as your best self every day. Yet despite its importance, many people struggle with poor sleep quality, leaving them groggy, unfocused, or drained. With the right strategies and simple habit shifts, you can improve your sleep, boost recovery, and wake up feeling truly refreshed and ready to take on the day.
Deep sleep is a vital stage of the sleep cycle involving the body’s most intensive restorative functions. Often referred to as slow-wave sleep, deep sleep is part of stage 3 NREM, which is crucial for physical health and cognitive functions.
Deep sleep is important for enhancing your overall health by:
Ultimately, you should aim to get plenty of rest, as insufficient deep sleep can elevate the risk of developing health problems.
It’s recommended to get about 7-9 hours of sleep per night, and only about 20-25% of that is deep sleep. This means you should aim to get 1.4-2 hours of deep sleep. If you get a full night’s rest, chances are you’ve had enough deep sleep.
Read more: How Much Deep Sleep Do You Need?
It’s not always easy to get enough deep sleep, but to help you get more, we have 10 tips for you:
Setting a fixed time to go to bed and get up in the morning helps to align your body’s circadian rhythm with a natural light-dark cycle. This allows your brain to wind down as bedtime is near, making it easier to fall asleep at night and waking up feeling alert and well-rested. Maintaining this even on weekends regulates sleep patterns, creates good sleep hygiene, and helps reduce sleep deprivation.
Engaging in regular physical activity can help increase deep sleep quality. Exercise has been shown to boost mood and energy levels, stimulate the brain and burn away the day’s stresses. Moderate to intense workouts, or even 20-30 minute walks during the day, can help burn energy for bedtime. Avoid any exercise too close to bedtime as it can have the opposite effect and disturb your deep sleep cycles.
What you eat and drink during the day, or even close to bedtime, can affect your deep sleep quality. Ensure you eat a balanced diet and don’t consume heavy meals or fatty food before bedtime. If you get peckish, why not eat a sleep-inducing snack like fruits or nuts, which are full of hormones that make you tired?
Avoid caffeine, alcohol, or drinks high in sugar, as these can make it harder to fall asleep, impacting sleep quality and deep sleep duration. Instead, choose healthy alternatives, such as staying hydrated with water or drinks to help you sleep, such as herbal teas or warm milk.
If you find yourself tossing and turning at night, unable to get comfortable, you may need a new mattress. The right mattress or bedding can make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep, increasing deep sleep. You may need a firmer mattress if you experience back, neck or hip pain. Or if you get too hot, try a cooling mattress like memory foam or gel.
Why not check out our personal comfort guide to find the best mattress for you.
Evening routines are important. Establish a consistent wind-down time to prepare your body and mind for sleep. Try taking a warm bath, incorporating skincare, reading a book, playing a calming game, or listening to relaxing sounds like classical music, ASMR, or white noise.
Make your bedroom as relaxing as possible to make it easier to fall asleep at night. Dim the lights and make your bedroom cooler to encourage deep sleeping. When it’s dark, your body produces more melatonin, the sleep hormone. A cooler room temperature can make your body more comfortable when falling asleep, instead of being too hot, causing you to wake up sweating.
Blue light emitted from screens like laptops, TVs, game consoles, tablets, and phones can impact your deep sleep. Any bright lights from screens can offset your melatonin production, meaning your body and mind won’t get as tired in the evening.
Try to have screen-free time an hour before bed, and avoid scrolling on social media in bed. Set your alarms and place your phone face down so any notifications don’t wake you up during the night.
Achieving enough deep sleep isn’t just about following a few steps; sometimes, you need to target what’s causing your poor sleep hygiene. Small and large issues can impact deep sleep, whether it’s a noisy sleep environment, an uncomfortable mattress, or even a sleep disorder.
Disorders such as sleep apnea or insomnia can keep you awake at all hours or even make it difficult to stay asleep. Why not try mouth taping to help you breathe and stop snoring, or alleviate pressure points to help you relax and calm down?
Relaxation techniques can all help you unwind and destress for the night. Stress and anxiety can easily lead to fragmented sleep cycles, causing reduced deep sleep. Why not try journaling or mindfulness to help clear your mind, or yoga and meditation to ease your stress levels and keep you present. Deep breathing exercises also help to promote deep sleep by creating a calming state before bed.
Find your zen with our 15 relaxation techniques for maximum Zzzs.
Various sleep aids and tools can help you get more deep sleep. Supplements such as magnesium, melatonin, valerian, or even CBD can help calm the nervous system, supporting relaxation for restful sleep. Sleep technology can even help you improve and monitor your deep sleep quality. With the introduction of sleep tracking apps or wearable devices, you can identify patterns and record your cycles. These are great ways to give you more informed strategies to get deeper sleep.
Incorporating these tips can improve your sleep hygiene, which can help you get more hours of sleep. More sleep equals more deep sleep, helping you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. For more information, read our ways to sleep better at night.
To take your sleep routine a step further, try our Sleep Cycle Calculator. This easy-to-use tool helps you identify the optimal times to fall asleep and wake up based on 90-minute sleep cycles, so you’re less likely to wake up feeling groggy. Whether you’re adjusting to a new routine or just want to feel more energised in the morning, the calculator offers personalised recommendations to support your sleep goals.
See all articles by Shannan Humphrey
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