The National Sleep Foundation suggests sticking to a sleep schedule, avoiding naps in the afternoon, practicing a relaxing bedtime routine, and exercising daily among other recommendations. For more information on sleep stages, see our blog posts REM, Light, Deep: How Much of Each Stage of Sleep Are You Getting? and Your Heart Rate Is the Key to Smarter Sleep Stages. There are several steps you can take to increase your chances for getting a good night’s sleep. For those who are prone to insomnia, it is best to exercise earlier in the day and not before bedtime. This is a light, NREM sleep that doesn’t last very long. It might lead to frustrations, irritability, depression, and anxiety symptoms. I like the Fitbit for exercising, but mostly got it to help improve my sleep. I first began experiencing symptoms as a teenager but wasnt diagnosed until my mid thirties after a sleep study. I lack deep sleep, but get too much REM sleep consistently. During stage 1, you drift from being awake to being asleep. Constantly having too much REM sleep will cause too much brain activity. I came across this message when googling deep sleep. During this stage, your breathing is the slowest it is during sleep, and you're unlikely to be awoken by loud noises. Fragmented sleep due to sleep disorders or sleeping at times that are not concordant with your natural sleep-wake rhythm may also diminish the percentage of slow-wave sleep.

Some sleep specialists recommend aerobic activities like jogging, running, and swimming. Sleep stages 1, 2, and REM consist of light sleep, while 3 and 4 comprise deep sleep. Deep sleep occurs in the final stage of non-REM sleep. As deep sleep occurs in multiple stints throughout the sleep period, anyone who sleeps for less than the recommended amount of hours is likely to obtain insufficient deep sleep. There is some data to suggest that vigorous exercise can increase or consolidate deep sleep. In addition to reducing deep sleep, REM sleep is also shortened. I'm a bit worried that I am typically very stressed, not sure if this is the cause or the consequence. My deep sleep is a bit lower than average (11).

I'm typically on 28 REM (30 day average) while the normal range is for my age is 15-25. Studies have shown that alcohol use can exacerbate the symptoms of sleep apnea. People with alcohol use disorders commonly experience insomnia symptoms. Often, individuals will deprive themselves of adequate total sleep. Inalso have above average REM and lower deep sleep. Alcohol has sedative effects that can induce feelings of relaxation and sleepiness 2, but the consumption of alcohol especially in excess has been linked to poor sleep quality and duration. I believe that one of the most important thing that you can do to increase your amount of 'deep sleep' is to allow yourself adequate total sleep time.

Too much deep sleep