Taking Naps During The Day Will Actually Harm Your Deep Sleep At Night
If it seems like you’ve forever been chasing more and better sleep, you’re not alone. Restful sleep isn’t a myth, even though it might seem all but elusive for many people. Turns out when you talk about sleep, there are several phases and stages involved. One that has become particularly buzzy lately is deep sleep. How to get more deep sleep is probably not high on your priority list, but it should be.
First, let's get to know your sleep better. There are two states to shut-eye: rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep (which consists of three stages and takes place first). Deep sleep is the third stage of NREM sleep, when the brain’s electrical activity slows down and settles into a harmonized rhythm, says Colin Espie, PhD, a professor of sleep medicine in the department of clinical neurosciences at the University of Oxford and co-founder and chief scientist of Big Health, which offers digital therapeutics for insomnia and anxiety. As the name implies, this is when you're in a deep slumber and it's hard for someone to wake you up.
The stages of NREM sleep are defined by changes in brain activity and generally reflect increasing sleep depth as one progresses through each of the three stages, he explains.
The brain alternates between NREM and REM sleep in what is known as a sleep cycle. The first stage is the transitional phase between wakefulness and sleep, while the second stage comprises the largest proportion of adult sleep, but the first phase of stage two sleep is usually pretty short, Espie says.
The deepest part of sleep occurs during the first third of the night, which is sometimes called slow-wave sleep because of higher brain waves occurring at a lower frequency. And as it turns out, this type of sleep is important for your overall health.
Meet the expert: Colin Espie, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with more than 30 years of experience and the founder of the Experimental & Clinical Sleep Medicine research program in the Sir Jules Thorn Sleep & Circadian Research Institute. He also serves as a professor of sleep medicine at the University of Oxford and the clinical director of the Oxford Online Program in Sleep Medicine.
Here's why deep sleep is so important.
Deep sleep allows the body to release growth hormone while it works to build and repair muscles, bones, and tissue, and strengthen immune system functioning, according to the Sleep Foundation.
REM sleep was previously thought to be the most important sleep phase for learning and memory, but newer data suggests that non-REM sleep is more important for these tasks, as well as being the more restful and restorative phase of sleep, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Yep, some people may not be getting enough deep sleep.
Women on average tend to have more slow-wave sleep than men, according to Espie. However, both slow-wave sleep minutes and slow-wave brain activity have been found to decrease with age, which means deeper sleep may be harder to come by as you get older.
“The amount of sleep we need varies depending on our age, our lifestyle, and other factors, such as those who may be new parents or are shift workers,” he explains.
10 Tips to Promote More Deep Sleep
While it might seem hard to come by, there are various ways you can try to get more deep sleep. Read on for 10 tips recommended by Espie.
1. Avoid caffeine where you can.
If you tend to need your daily cup of joe to function, keep it to the morning hours. Additionally, don’t forget that tea, chocolate, certain sodas, and some medications contain caffeine as well, so be mindful about when you take them, Espie says.
“Caffeinated beverages late in the day have been shown to prolong efforts to fall asleep as well as negatively impact sleep quality,” he notes.
2. Limit alcohol.
Have you ever found that a drink before going to bed (a.k.a. a nightcap) helps lull you to sleep faster? This isn’t coincidental, but it’s not as good for your sleep health as you may think.
“Alcohol may ease getting to sleep, but as the alcohol wears off, more time will be spent in the lighter, non-restorative stages of sleep,” Espie says.
3. Be smart about your napping habits.
Napping during the day may seem like a good way to make up for lost sleep, but it can lead to more variable sleep times and quality of sleep during the night, Espie says.
“Sleeping during the day [becomes] inconsistent with your internal biological clock, so try to avoid naps throughout the day if you are in need of deep, restful sleep that night,” he says. “Avoiding naps during the day allows us to build up ‘sleep pressure,’ which increases our chances of falling asleep that night.”
4. Get your exercise earlier in the day.
Ever notice you feel more wired than tired if you work out close to bedtime? Studies show exercise has been linked to better (and deeper) sleep; however, intense exercise too late in the day may postpone your ability to fall asleep, Espie says.
“Exercise is recommended at least three times per week, as it has been shown to help adults with chronic insomnia by improving sleep quality, reducing time to fall asleep and reducing frequent wake periods during the night,” he says. So move your workout sesh to at least a couple of hours before hitting the hay.
5. Limit exposure to light.
Blackout curtains aren’t a fad—keeping your sleep environment dark is key to not only preventing sleep disruption, but it also helps release melatonin in the brain to promote sleep, Espie says. Blackout sleep masks can block out unwanted light as well.
6. Put your devices away before bedtime.
You’ve likely heard this one before, but you really should put your phone away and out of reach when you’re ready to go to snooze.
“Similar to other sources of light, including natural sunlight and electrical light, exposure to blue light from mobile phones and televisions can impact our ability to achieve restful sleep, as it suppresses the release of melatonin,” Espie explains.
7. Commit to a consistent sleep schedule.
Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day can actually do wonders for your sleep quality. “A consistent bedtime and wake time is critical for poor sleepers and will help increase the predictability and consistency of sleep, regardless of whether you’re an early riser or night owl,” he says.
8. Try the quarter-of-an-hour rule.
If you have difficulty sleeping and spend a significant amount of time in bed awake, follow the quarter-of-an-hour rule. “If you aren’t able to fall asleep within roughly 15 minutes of going to bed, try getting out of bed, going to another room, and going through your wind-down routine or do a light activity, such as reading, until you are feeling sleepy.”
9. Turn your brain off.
Do you ever find that the reason you can’t go to sleep is because your mind is going a million miles an hour and stressing you out? You’re not alone.
“The racing mind is perhaps the culprit for many sleepless nights, as we find ourselves thinking about our to-do lists or replaying what took place that day,” Espie says. “Put your day, and mind, to rest by planning for tomorrow and taking the time to wind down beforehand—generally 90 minutes before bed—so you’re ready for sleep.”
10. Consider cognitive behavioral therapy.
Turning your brain off is actually an example of a cognitive behavioral therapy technique used for those who struggle with sleep, Espie says. However, If you are consistently experiencing poor sleep and it’s impacting your day-to-day functioning, he recommends seeking professional help, as CBT helps people change their thoughts and behaviors around sleep in such a way that normal, good rest can return.
“CBT is recognized in the leading medical guidelines as the first-line recommended treatment for insomnia,” he notes. “It addresses the underlying causes and maintaining factors of insomnia, and can have lasting benefits for people with chronic sleep issues." CBT trains people to use techniques that address the cognitive factors associated with insomnia, such as the racing mind, and to overcome the worry and other emotions that are associated with poor sleep.
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