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How much deep sleep should you have

Phase change

Stages of the slow phase

The Importance of Slow Sleep

What is the reason for this amount of sleep?

The thing is that it is the slow phase that accounts for the process of restoring all the cells of the body. In the pineal gland at this time, growth hormone is produced, which triggers catabolism. This means that protein compounds are not broken down, as during daytime anabolism, but, on the contrary, are synthesized from amino acids.

Deep dream. How long does it take and what is the norm

During falling asleep and when immersed in delta sleep, tissues and organs self-repair.

Summing up

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Sleep cycle

During sleep in an adult, 2 main phases alternate: fast and slow sleep. At the very beginning, after falling asleep, the duration of the slow phase is long, and before waking up, the duration of slow wave sleep is shortened, and the duration of REM sleep is lengthened.

A healthy adult starts sleep from the 1st tbsp. slow sleep, lasting 5-10 minutes. Next 2nd st. lasts 20 min. Then follow 3-4 tbsp. continuing for another 30-45 minutes. Further, the sleeper again plunges into the 2nd tbsp. NREM sleep, followed by the 1st episode of REM sleep, which takes only 5 minutes. This is one cycle.

The initial cycle lasts about an hour and a half. During the repetition of cycles, the proportion of non-REM sleep is shortened, and the proportion of fast sleep is lengthened. During the last cycle, the duration of the fast cycle can be up to one hour. A healthy adult experiences 5 cycles during a night's sleep.

slow sleep

Non-REM sleep is also divided into certain stages:

The first is drowsiness with dreamlike visions. At this time, solutions to daily problems can clearly appear in the brain.
The second is the so-called sleep spindles. At this time, consciousness turns off, but a person can be easily awakened, thanks to the increased thresholds of perception.
The third is a deeper sleep in which sleep spindles are still preserved.
The fourth is the deepest sleep, sometimes called delta sleep. The duration of the deep sleep phase decreases from cycle to cycle.

Actually, under the concept of delta sleep, the penultimate and last stages are sometimes combined. It is almost impossible to wake a sleeping person during this period. This is the stage at which sleepwalking occurs. enuresis or nightmares. but upon awakening, a person does not retain memories of what happened. Normally, all 4 slow-wave stages of sleep of the 1st cycle occupy up to 80% of all sleep.

From the point of view of the physiology of sleep, in this phase the body heals physically - cells and tissues are restored, self-healing of internal organs occurs. During this period, the body restores its energy consumption. During REM sleep, he restores his mental and intellectual resources.

What happens during delta sleep

During delta sleep, the rhythms of the heartbeat and respiratory rate decrease, and all muscles relax. As this phase deepens, the number of movements of the sleeper becomes minimal, it becomes difficult to wake him up. If, nevertheless, the sleeping person is awakened at this time, he will not remember dreams.

During slow-wave sleep, according to the researchers of the phenomenon, restorative metabolic processes occur in the tissues, aimed at compensating for the catabolism that occurs during wakefulness.

Certain facts support this hypothesis. The delta sleep stage is lengthened in some cases:

after active physical work;
during a period of rapid weight loss;
with thyrotoxicosis.

If the subjects are deprived of this phase artificially (by exposure to sound, for example), then they begin to complain of physical weakness and unpleasant muscle sensations.

Also, delta sleep plays an important role in the processes of memorization. Experiments were conducted during which the subjects were asked to memorize meaningless combinations of letters before going to bed. After three hours of sleep, they were awakened and asked to repeat what they had learned before going to bed. It turned out that the more delta waves were recorded during this period of sleep, the more accurate the memories were. The results of these experiments determined that the memory impairment that occurs with prolonged sleep disturbances and insomnia is associated precisely with deep sleep problems.

The test subjects react to the deprivation of deep sleep in the same way as to the complete deprivation of sleep: 2-3 nights with the use of arousal reduce efficiency, slow down the speed of reactions, give a feeling of fatigue.

How long should deep sleep last?

Each person has their own individual norm for how much sleep they need. There are short sleepers, medium sleepers, and long sleepers. Napoleon was a short sleeper - he slept only 4 hours. And Einstein was a long sleeper - his sleep rate was at least 10 hours. And both were very effective figures. However, if an ordinary person is forced to reduce his norm, then, probably, in the morning he will be negative, immediately tired and angry.

Scientists at the University of Surrey conducted an experiment in which 110 healthy adults who had never experienced sleep problems took part. On the very first night, the participants spent 8 hours in bed and showed that: subjects aged 20-30 years old slept 7.23 hours, 40-55 years old 6.83 hours, 66-83 years old - 6.51 hours. The same trend was observed in the time of deep sleep: 118.4 minutes in the first group, 85.3 in the middle group, 84.2 minutes in the most age group.

The first thing that begins to suffer with a lack of delta sleep is the endocrine system. With a lack of deep sleep, a person does not produce growth hormone. As a result, the belly begins to grow. These people suffer from sleep apnea. at night, they experience short-term respiratory arrests, during which they can simply not breathe for up to 1.5 minutes. Then the body, out of a sense of self-preservation, gives the command to wake up and the person snores. This is a very dangerous condition during which heart attacks and strokes occur much more often. In the treatment of the syndrome, people lose weight dramatically, because they are improving the production of the hormone. Sleep apnea causes irresistible daytime sleepiness, which is extremely dangerous if a person is driving at this time.

The rate of deep sleep in adults is from 30 to 70% of the total sleep time. To increase its percentage, you must:

create a more efficient wake/sleep schedule (you need to go to bed and get up at the same time);
give the body physical activity a couple of hours before bedtime (more on the effect of sports on sleep);
do not smoke, do not overeat, do not drink coffee, alcohol, energy drinks before bed (we have compiled a list of products that improve sleep);
sleep in a comfortable room (in a ventilated room, in the absence of extraneous sounds and light).

With the onset of old age, the duration of non-REM sleep decreases. In 80-year-olds, the long phase of sleep becomes 62% less than in twenty-year-olds. There are many factors that affect aging, but if the phase of non-REM sleep is also reduced, then the aging process goes even faster.

How to measure your sleep

It is possible to accurately separate all 5 stages of sleep only by the encephalogram of the brain, rapid eye movements and other modern studies. If you just need to equalize your sleep during the week, you can use special fitness bracelets. Fitness bracelets cannot read what phase of sleep the body is currently in, but they record the movements of a person in a dream. The fitness bracelet will help divide sleep into 2 phases - a person tosses and turns (phase 1-3), sleeps motionless (phase 3-5). Information on the bracelet is displayed in the form of a graph-fence. True, the main purpose of this function of fitness bracelets is a smart alarm clock, which should gently wake a person in the fast phase of sleep.

Discovery of the delta sleep peptide

In the 70s, during experiments on rabbits, a group of Swiss scientists discovered the delta sleep peptide, which, when exposed to the brain, is able to induce this phase. Scientists isolated it from the blood of rabbits in the deep phase of sleep.

The norm of deep sleep in an adult and how to correct it

The beneficial properties of the substance are gradually being revealed to people over the course of more than 40 years of research, it:

activates mechanisms of protection against stress;
slows down the aging process, which is facilitated by its antioxidant properties. The life expectancy of mice during experiments with its use increased by 24%;
has anti-cancer properties: slows down the growth of tumors and inhibits metastasis;
inhibits the development of alcohol dependence;
exhibits anticonvulsant properties, reduces the duration of epileptic seizures;
is an excellent pain reliever.

How to increase delta sleep

A number of experiments have been conducted that study the effect of physical activity on delta sleep. The men worked out on an exercise bike for two hours. Daytime activities did not affect the duration of sleep in any way. Evening classes had a notable impact:

increased by 36 minutes the total length of sleep;
the period of falling asleep and drowsing was shortened;
deepened delta sleep;
the cycle lengthened from one and a half to two hours.

With the introduction of additional intellectual loads (tests in the evening, solving logical problems), changes in the deep sleep phase were also recorded:

the proportion of the deepest stage increased due to sleep spindles;
lengthened 2nd cycle;
an increase in the work of activating systems was recorded.

Any stressful situations cause a shortening of the delta sleep phase. Delta sleep is a mandatory participant in all changes in human living conditions. An increase in its duration compensates for any load.

What is deep sleep and how long does it last

The norm of sleep for an adult is 7-8 hours. However, each organism is individual, and therefore the rest time is calculated differently. For some, 4-6 hours is enough to fully restore their vitality, while for others, 9-10 hours of sleep will be optimal. Regardless of which regimen a particular person observes, he has a phase of superficial and deep sleep.

Phase change

When our night journey to the realm of Morpheus begins, we fall into a deep sleep. It lasts approximately 60 minutes, followed by REM sleep. A full cycle, starting from the slow phase and ending with the fast one, takes approximately 90-120 minutes for an adult.

During the night, from 4 to 6 cycles pass, depending on the biorhythms of people. In the first cycle, deep sleep lasts the longest, then its duration decreases. The closer to awakening, the more time we spend in paradoxical sleep, during which the brain actively processes and sorts all the information we have received during the day. In the last cycle, it can take up to an hour.

Stages of the slow phase

Slow-wave sleep is also called orthodox or deep sleep. It is in it that we need to immerse ourselves at the very beginning of the rest in order to fully restore our vital functions. This phase, unlike the fast one, is divided into main stages:

Drowsiness - at this time we are just starting to fall asleep, our brain is still actively working, therefore we see dreams, they can be intertwined with reality, it is often at this stage that a person can find answers to questions that remained unresolved during the day.
Falling asleep is the stage at which our consciousness begins to turn off, but the brain is still sensitive to external stimuli, it is very important that nothing disturbs a person at this time, even the slightest noise easily wakes him up.
Deep sleep is the time when all functions in our body smoothly fade, the body relaxes, but weak electrical impulses still pass through the brain.
Delta sleep is the stage of the deepest sleep, when we are most relaxed, at this time the brain stops responding to external stimuli, the body temperature becomes the lowest, blood circulation and respiratory rate decrease.

The Importance of Slow Sleep

Scientists became seriously interested in the study of sleep in the 70s of the last century. In the course of various experiments on volunteers, it was found that depending on the duration of slow sleep, mental and physical indicators change in people.

The test took place at Stanford University and involved football students. If orthodox sleep lasted longer than usual, then endurance and productivity increased in athletes.

It is also known that athletes sleep not for 7-8, but for 11-12 hours a day.

What is the reason for this amount of sleep? The thing is that it is the slow phase that accounts for the process of restoring all the cells of the body.

Norms for the duration of the stage of deep sleep

In the pineal gland at this time, growth hormone is produced, which triggers catabolism. This means that protein compounds are not broken down, as during daytime anabolism, but, on the contrary, are synthesized from amino acids. During falling asleep and when immersed in delta sleep, tissues and organs self-repair.

Scientists have also found that if sleep is deep and has the right duration, the immune system works much better. If we do not rest normally at night, then the protective functions of the body will decrease, and we will become susceptible to infectious and inflammatory diseases.

Youth also depends on how well we sleep - if the slow phase does not last as many hours as necessary, the aging process will take place at an accelerated pace.

The effect of deep sleep on intelligence

Scientists have been able to prove that slow sleep affects not only physical endurance, but also the mental abilities of a person. During the experiment, the subjects were given lists of a variety of words, completely unrelated to each other, before going to bed, and asked to remember them. It turned out that people who slept more in the delta stage performed better - they were able to remember more words than those who had shorter deep sleep.

Studies have also proven that artificially depriving a person of a deep sleep phase is equivalent to a sleepless night. If the fast phase tends to be compensated in the following nights, then it is impossible to “sleep” the slow one.

Symptoms such as deterioration in concentration, memory loss, decreased ability to work and other signs of insomnia are also observed if a person does not spend as much time in the orthodox phase as he needs.

No matter how many hours a person sleeps, the slow phase always "opens" his rest. It is very different from REM sleep and has its own characteristics. For example, scientists have proven that, under certain conditions, delta sleep can last longer than usual. This happens if a person is rapidly losing weight, he has a hyperfunction of the thyroid gland (thyrotoxicosis), or the day before he spent a lot of energy on physical work.

A curious fact is that it is in deep sleep that such disorders as sleepwalking, enuresis, and sleep-talking begin to be expressed; a person sees nightmares.

If at this time the sleeping person is awakened, he will not remember anything about his dreams or actions, he will be disoriented in time and space. This condition is associated with a slowdown in all processes in the body, which occurs during delta sleep.

Summing up

Each person needs to sleep as much time as is required for the full recovery of the body.

Deep sleep has many useful functions, it is simply necessary for normal physical and intellectual activity.

Those who want to increase its duration should play sports during the day, and in the evening solve logic puzzles, solve crossword puzzles, or train the brain in some other way. Moderate activity during the entire period of wakefulness will help you fall asleep quickly and have a good rest at night.

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Phase change

During the night, from 4 to 6 cycles pass, depending on the biorhythms of people. In the first cycle, deep sleep lasts the longest, then its duration decreases.

The norm of deep sleep for an adult: how long should the deep sleep phase last

The closer to awakening, the more time we spend in paradoxical sleep, during which the brain actively processes and sorts all the information we have received during the day. In the last cycle, it can take up to an hour.

Stages of the slow phase

Drowsiness - at this time we are just starting to fall asleep, our brain is still actively working, therefore we see dreams, they can be intertwined with reality, it is often at this stage that a person can find answers to questions that remained unresolved during the day.
Falling asleep is the stage at which our consciousness begins to turn off, but the brain is still sensitive to external stimuli, it is very important that nothing disturbs a person at this time, even the slightest noise easily wakes him up.
Deep sleep is the time when all functions in our body smoothly fade, the body relaxes, but weak electrical impulses still pass through the brain.
Delta sleep is the stage of the deepest sleep, when we are most relaxed, at this time the brain stops responding to external stimuli, the body temperature becomes the lowest, blood circulation and respiratory rate decrease.

The Importance of Slow Sleep

The test took place at Stanford University and involved football students. If orthodox sleep lasted longer than usual, then endurance and productivity increased in athletes.

It is also known that athletes sleep not for 7-8, but for 11-12 hours a day.

What is the reason for this amount of sleep? The thing is that it is the slow phase that accounts for the process of restoring all the cells of the body. In the pineal gland at this time, growth hormone is produced, which triggers catabolism. This means that protein compounds are not broken down, as during daytime anabolism, but, on the contrary, are synthesized from amino acids. During falling asleep and when immersed in delta sleep, tissues and organs self-repair.

Youth also depends on how well we sleep - if the slow phase does not last as many hours as necessary, the aging process will take place at an accelerated pace.

The effect of deep sleep on intelligence

A curious fact is that it is in deep sleep that such disorders as sleepwalking, enuresis, and sleep-talking begin to be expressed; a person sees nightmares.