Delta wave sleep is also called slow wave sleep or deep sleep, and it is a very important stage in the sleep cycle that enables proper brain function and memory. The majority of adults are aware that they should be getting between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night, but there is actually a good reason for this.

The two main stages of sleep that you should be aware of are REM sleep and non-REM sleep, and each of these will have important stages. We will cycle through these stages in a regular pattern when we are asleep. This means that in order to get a good night’s sleep, you will need to cycle through these stages a few times before you wake up.

There are some things that you can do to get better sleep and sleep more deeply each night, and these things can help you to wake up feeling more rested and refreshed. In this article, we are going to be looking at how many hours of delta wave sleep the average adult needs each night, as well as explaining why this phase of sleep is so important.




How Many Hours Of Delta Wave Sleep Does An Average Adult Need Per Day?

The average adult should spend around 13 to 23% of their time sleeping in deep sleep. You will spend around 75% of the night in non-REM sleep, and the other 25% of the night in REM sleep. 

However, the amount of deep sleep that you get can decrease with age, and if you are under 30 years of age, you might get around 2 hours of deep sleep every night. On the other hand, if you are over the age of 65, then you might only get around half an hour of deep sleep each night in total.

There is no specific requirement for the amount of deep sleep that you should be getting, but the younger you are, the more than you will need as it promotes growth and development. Older people do still need deep sleep, but perhaps not as much.

What You Need to Know About the Stages of Sleep

To really understand the importance of deep sleep, it is important to look at all of the stages of sleep. The two important phases of sleep are called non-REM sleep and REM sleep, and we are going to explore both of these sleep cycles below.

Non-REM Sleep

The first cycle of sleep is non-REM sleep, and your body will cycle through 3 stages of this type of sleep.

The first stage is quite short, and it is essentially a transition period where the body and brain will move from a state of wakefulness to one of sleep. This is a relatively short stage of sleep, as it only lasts for a few minutes. People are likely to wake up from this stage of sleep more easily than they would in others.

During this stage, the body’s rhythm will begin to slow down, the heart rate and breathing slow, and the eyes start to relax. The muscles will also start to relax, but they may also twitch. This is when the brain is starting to unwind, and your brain waves will slow down because your brain activity is decreasing.

The second stage of non-REM sleep is another light stage of sleep that involves the body transitioning into a deeper sleep. We typically spend most of our time during the sleep cycle in this stage of sleep.

Your heart rate and breathing will slow down further, and the muscles will relax more. Your eyes will stop moving completely, and your body temperature will start to decrease. Even though your brain waves are slowing down, you will experience small bursts of electrical signals in the brain.

The third stage of non-REM sleep is deep sleep, or delta wave sleep. Although you will complete the sleep cycle multiple times throughout the night, the deep sleep stage lasts the longest earlier on in the night. 

At this stage, your heart rate and breathing will be at their slowest, and your eyes and muscles will be very relaxed. Your brain waves will become even slower. It is usually quite difficult to wake someone up when they are in this stage of sleep. Interestingly, this is when sleep disorders like sleepwalking can occur.

REM Sleep

REM sleep is the last stage of the sleep cycle, and you will enter this stage after around 90 minutes of sleeping. In this stage of sleep, your eyes will move back and forth beneath your eyelids, and you are much more wakeful in this stage than the others. 

During REM sleep, the brain waves will start to resemble the brain waves that you would experience when you are awake, and your heart rate and breathing will quicken. Dreaming happens the most in this stage of sleep, and the brain will temporarily paralyse the arms and legs to stop them from moving while you dream.

Why is Delta Wave Sleep So Important?

All of the stages of sleep are important, but delta wave sleep, or deep sleep, will promote brain health and function. Delta wave sleep will allow the brain to create and store new memories, and it will improve your ability to collect and recall information.

This stage of sleep will also help the brain to rest and recover from a day of being so active, which allows it to replenish energy in the form of glucose, so you will be ready to face the next day. Deep sleep is also really important for keeping your hormones balanced. This is because the pituitary gland will secrete human growth hormone during this stage, and this helps tissues to grow and cells to regenerate in the body.

You will need to get enough delta wave sleep for these important bodily functions to take place. If you were to sleep for between 7 and 9 hours a night, you would be more likely to get enough delta wave sleep.

What Happens if You Don’t Get Enough Delta Wave Sleep?

If you don’t get enough delta wave sleep, your brain will try to compensate the next time you go to sleep by moving through the cycles of sleep more quickly to reach the deeper levels of sleep. If you do not get enough delta wave sleep on a regular basis, then it can start to affect your brain. 

Deep sleep is something that plays a big part in your memory, which means that your body might find it difficult to make new memories or retain information. 




What Are the Benefits of Delta Wave Sleep?

There are lots of benefits that come with getting enough delta wave sleep, one of them being that the glucose metabolism in the brain increases during this stage of sleep, which supports both short-term and long-term memory, as well as your ability to learn.

Delta wave sleep is also the time when the pituitary gland secretes important hormones, like human growth hormone, which contributes to growth and the general development of the body. Some additional benefits of delta wave sleep include:

  • Regeneration of cells
  • An increased blood supply to the muscles
  • Energy restoration
  • Growth and repair of tissues and bones
  • Strengthening the immune system

How Can You Tell How Much Delta Wave Sleep You Are Getting?

If you are waking up still feeling exhausted, then your body could be trying to tell you that you are not getting enough deep sleep. New technology is being developed all the time, and you can now actually get wearable devices that will measure your sleep by tracking your body’s movements during the night.

However, while this can be useful to help you identify your sleeping patterns, it might not be the most reliable indicator of how much delta wave sleep you are getting. If you are really struggling, then your doctor might recommend a sleep study that is called polysomnography, or PSG. 

You would be connected to monitors that will measure your breathing rate, oxygen levels, body movements, heart rate, and brain waves. The information that the study provides will allow your doctor to determine if you are reaching delta wave sleep, as well as other stages, throughout the night.

How to Get Better Sleep

Studies have shown that heat can promote more slow wave sleep, which is why having a hot bath before you go to bed can help to improve your sleep quality.

You should try to create yourself a bedtime schedule and go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.

Getting at least 20 to 30 minutes of exercise throughout the day can help you to sleep better, as long as you avoid exercising in the nighttime.

Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening, and instead, drink plenty of water throughout the day. Alcohol and nicotine can also negatively impact your sleep.

Avoid bright lights and loud noises in your bedroom. Avoiding your phone and TV before you go to bed can make it easier to unwind and prepare yourself for sleep.