Are You Getting Enough Deep Sleep?

Lack of sleep can cause these issues...

By Dr. Valerie Monteiro Last updated Jun 18, 2024

How many times have you slept through the night, possibly for 6 to 8 hours, only to wake up still feeling tired and dragging?

Do you consider yourself a ‘Light Sleeper’ (awakened by the slightest noise)?

Well, you’re not alone. This happens frequently to many people. The reason…All sleep is not the same.

Although getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep is important, equally as important is the quality of sleep. If you regularly wake up in the middle of the night or are a light sleeper, you are experiencing poor-quality sleep.

What are the stages of sleep?

When you sleep your body will go through 5 different cycles of sleep, lasting approximately 90 to 120 minutes. In 8 hours of sleep, you should cycle through these stages 4 to 5 times a night.

Stage 1

This is non-REM (NREM) sleep lasting several minutes as you drift from being awake to being asleep. During this stage, you wake up easily and feel like you haven’t slept at all. Here’s how your body functions during this stage:

All body functions begin to slow (heartbeat, respiration, eye movements)
Muscles relax with just occasional twitches
Brain waves begin to slow down

Stage 2

This stage accounts for 50 percent of your total sleep cycle. You are in a light sleep. Here’s how your body functions during this stage:

Body systems continue to slow and relax
Core body temperature drops
Eye movements stop
Brain waves are very slow, but you may encounter short bursts of activity

Stages 3 and 4

These are the deep stages of NREM sleep. It’s much harder to wake you up during this stage (even with loud noises), and when you are awoken you feel disoriented for a few minutes. During stages 3 and 4, the body:

Repairs and regenerates tissue
Builds of bone and muscles
Increases blood supply to muscles
Strengthens the immune system

Deep sleep is responsible for helping process the information you encounter each day. Without enough of it, the brain can’t convert this information to your memory.

The benefits of deep sleep include:

Glucose metabolism in the brain increases supporting short and long-term memory and overall learning capacity
Human Growth Hormone is secreted (necessary for the growth and development of the body and decreased tissue breakdown)
Energy is restored
Cellular regeneration occurs

Not getting enough deep sleep correlates to conditions like:

Alzheimer’s disease
Heart disease
Diabetes
Stroke

Stage 5

Stage 5 occurs approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep, and only occurs after you have moved through the first 4 cycles. If your sleep has been interrupted in an earlier cycle, you start with Stage 1 sleep all over again. During REM sleep:

Your eyes move rapidly from side to side
You experience dreaming as your brain activity increases to a more wakeful state
Heart rate increases to near its wakeful state
Breathing becomes faster
Your limbs may become paralyzed

During the beginning of the night, your body prioritizes deep sleep in order for you to repair and regrow tissue, build bone and muscle and strengthen the immune system.

Most people generally experience their first cycle of REM sleep 90 minutes after falling asleep. Initially in the beginning of your sleep cycles, you will experience shorter bursts of REM allowing for longer deep sleep. However, as the night progresses and the body has satisfied its need for deep sleep, you take in longer periods of REM sleep. This occurs during the final hours of sleep in the early morning. Because of this, your REM sleep can get cut off when you don’t spend a full seven or eight hours in bed, says psychologist Rubin Naiman, a sleep and dream specialist at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.

Lack of REM sleep will result in the following problems:

Poor memory
Mood swings or low mood
Decreased cognitive performance
Decreased cell regeneration
Decreased motivation
Increased pain perception (low tolerance to pain)

The Best Ingredients for Deep Sleep:

Ever wonder which are the best herbs, minerals or hormones to eradicate your insomnia and improve your quality of sleep. Here’s a list that will help you choose the right sleep formula for you, so you can wake up refreshed and energized each morning.

Melatonin

Melatonin, nicknamed “the sleep hormone”, is produced by your pineal gland, and controls your sleep/wake cycles. Production in the body is triggered by darkness and suppressed by light. Indoor lighting, TVs, computers, and cell phones can disrupt your melatonin production resulting in sleep problems.

The best melatonin to take is ALL-Natural, fermented melatonin and not synthetic melatonin. Synthetic versions tends to give you ‘freaky’ dreams and even nightmares. With a fermented melatonin, you will have more dreams because it increases your REM cycle but you will not have nightmares.

Benefits of Melatonin:

Improves sleep quality
Increases REM sleep
Improves mood
Decreases daytime sleepiness
Improves energy levels and daytime performance
Improves immune function
Assists with the regulation of metabolism, digestion, and appetite

The Melatonin we use for our patients is Sleep EZ.

Sleep EZ is cultured from beneficial probiotic organisms making it 100% all-natural and highly absorbable (bioavailable).

MAGNESIUM

Magnesium is one of the most vital minerals when it comes to relaxation, sleep, and mental health. A magnesium deficiency can cause anxiety, sleep disorders, irritability, and abnormal heart rhythms.

One study shows that magnesium improved subjective measures of sleeplessness, sleep efficiency, sleep time, and sleep onset.

Benefits of Magnesium:

Stabilize mood
Promote better sleep quality
Increases deep sleep cycles of sleep
Decrease stress hormones
Supports bone development and guards against bone loss (osteopenia)
Decreases insomnia associated with Restless Leg Syndrome

Saffron

Results from a new clinical study demonstrate the surprising capabilities of commercially extracted saffron on sleep quality.

Benefits of Saffron:

Reduces overall insomnia
Decreases interrupted sleep
Increases continuous sleep throughout the night
Increases feelings of being more alert and refreshed upon awakening in the morning

L-Theanine

L-theanine, or ‘suntheanine’- a more concentrated form, is an amino acid that promotes a sense of calm and has anti-anxiety properties. It helps ‘quiet’ the mind before sleep and can improve your overall sleep quality.

Benefits of L-Theanine:

Promotes relaxation before sleep and daytime relaxations (without sedation/grogginess)
Boosts sleep neurotransmitters- GABA, Serotonin and Dopamine
Reduces stress and anxiety
Increases REM sleep
Increases sleep onset (falling asleep)

Valerian Root

This herb is the best-studied herb for sleep problems. More than a dozen scientific studies revealed that valerian root brings about relaxation and calm.

Benefits of Valerian Root:

Decreases insomnia
Increases sleep onset (falling asleep)
Improves continual sleep throughout the night
Increases neurotransmitter Gaba to promote relaxation and decrease stress and anxiety
Reduces sleep difficulties associated with Restless Leg Syndrome

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm encourages a deeper and more restful sleep when used with other sleep-promoting herbs such as valerian root. Other benefits include acting as a strong antioxidant for the liver and a brain booster to improve memory and mood.

Benefits of Lemon Balm:

Alleviates nighttime restlessness
Promotes relaxation
Reduces anxiety
Decreases stress
Improves mood

Passionflower

Passionflower is known as a tranquilizing herb due to its calming and sleep-inducing effects. Research has shown that it is effective for anxiety. When combined with valerian root it promotes a deep, restful sleep.

Benefits of Passionflower:

Calms the mind and nervous system
Increases Deep Sleep cycles
Increases the duration of restful, continuous sleep
Improved symptoms of insomnia

INSIGHTS

Our modern lifestyle conspires to keep us awake far longer than is healthy by glamorizing constant internet connectivity. This precipitates round-the-clock activity and less sleep. This is problematic because humans have evolved with a 24-hour day/night cycle called a circadian rhythm. Most hormones-like cortisol, thyroid hormones, growth hormone, insulin and melatonin- respond to this rhythm. These hormones regulate bodily processes like digestion, metabolism and sleep.

Light, at the appropriate times and intensities, is the most potent regulator of our circadian rhythm. When we undergo chronic light exposure at inappropriate times (like at bedtime-10pm or later), it can be the largest disruptor to our circadian rhythms. Light pollution within our homes from house lighting, TV’s, computers and other electronic devices have become the single largest problem interfering with our sleep.

The standard recommendation of continual, unbroken sleep for adults is 7 to 8 hours per night. Teens need 9 hours of sleep per night and children need at least 12 hours.

The proper amount of good quality sleep is critical to prevent:

Attention or behavior problems
Poor cognitive development
Cognitive decline or memory loss
Depression
Type 2 Diabetes
Obesity
Heart disease
Chronic Inflammation

Here are some things you can do to get your sleep back on track.

Tips for Good Sleep

	Set bedtime and wake times at the same time every day, including weekends to reprogram your circadian rhythm.
	Remove electronic devices from the bedroom. If you use the alarm on your phone, make sure to have a cell phone protector on it and place it in airplane mode while you sleep.
	Keep the bedroom cool (65-69 degrees) and quiet.
	Avoid large meals and caffeine at least 2 hours before bedtime.
	Take a warm bath before bed with Epsom salts for relaxation and lavender essential oil for calming.
	Turn off all lights at bedtime. Only use a red light for a night light.

Resetting Sleep Cycles

To reset your sleep cycles and get back to sleeping throughout the night, we recommend Sleep EZ and Sleepy Time to our patients.

Sleep EZ is a natural, probiotic, fermented melatonin, better than synthetic (tablet) melatonin. Although melatonin increases REM sleep leading to more time dreaming, unlike synthetic melatonin, Sleep EZ will not cause you to have nightmares. This formula is great for those who suffer from delayed sleep onset (difficulty falling asleep).

Sleepy Time consists of many herbs and minerals that increase deep sleep cycles. As a result, Sleepy Time helps you sleep soundly through the night. No more waking up in the middle of the night and staring at the ceiling.

Dr. Coppola and I personally use both these formulas on a regular basis. They prevent jet lag and work wonders for a restful night’s sleep, especially when stress levels are very high.

Struggling with Neuropathy?

Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro’s dedication to combating neuropathy is deeply personal, stemming from Dr. Monteiro’s experience with her mother’s severe chemo-induced neuropathy. This personal journey fueled their commitment to develop a systematic, drug-free approach to reversing neuropathy.

They founded the San Antonio Neuropathy Center, where they’ve successfully treated over 18,000 patients over the past two decades. Their acclaimed book, “Defeat Neuropathy Now in Spite of Your Doctor,” along with their neuropathy product line, stands as a testament to their expertise and innovative solutions.

Recognized as leading neuropathy specialists in America, Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro offer a beacon of hope for those diagnosed with this challenging condition. If you or a loved one is seeking relief from neuropathy, reach out to us at 844 400-0101 or email us through our contact page – Click here.

Your path to healing can start today.

Resources

National Institutes of Health.
National Sleep Foundation.
American Sleep Association. (n.d.). What is deep sleep? How to get more of it.
sleepassociation.org/about-sleep/stages-of-sleep/deep-sleep/
American Sleep Association. (n.d.). Stages of sleep.
sleepassociation.org/about-sleep/stages-of-sleep/
Yasmin Anwar, (2017) “Deep sleep may act as fountain of youth in old age”. news.berkeley.edu/2017/04/05/deep-sleep-aging/
Cleveland Clinic Staff. (2012).” Sleep basics.”. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/12148-sleep-basics
Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School. (2007). “Changes in sleep with age”. healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/variations/changes-in-sleep-with-age
Institute of Medicine Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research. (2006). “Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: An unmet public health problem”. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19956/