'In a 2017 systematic review, 29 out of 34 medical studies published between 2013-2017 reported taking exercise improved the quality and duration of sleep. 'Ensure you have a comfortable mattress, adequate pillows, and suitable – perhaps anti-allergy - bedding.' Keep your bedroom dark with blackout blinds and/or use a blackout eye mask. 'You need a cool bedroom, and fresh air - sleep with the window open. This means you are sleeping in tune with your own natural Circadian rhythms.' Practice good sleep hygiene 'Get your mind and body into a pattern of going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. ' The Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours sleep per day for adults, so make sure you plan to be able to achieve this,' she explains. Dr Lee shares her tips for deep sleep: Schedule enough time for sleep The good news is, there are steps you can take that can increase the chance of your sleep being deep, so there's no reason to think you're simply the type of person that doesn't sleep well. How you can improve your chances of entering into a deep sleep? Ageing - although older people still need 7-9 hours sleep per night, sleep difficulties are common with ageing.Sleep disorders – there are many different sleep disorders, such as sleep apnoea, and restless legs syndrome.For example, some antidepressants, steroids, blood pressure medication, and thyroxine Medication – numerous types of medication can cause sleep disturbance.The following can affect your sleep hygiene:

Preparing your sleep environment for a good night’s sleep is called having good sleep hygiene. To sleep well you need to lie in the dark – the sleep hormone melatonin is produced in the dark

Poor sleeping conditions – your bedroom may be too hot, poorly ventilated, and/or may allow in too much light.

Negative thought patterns either keep you awake or wake you in the night

Stress, anxiety, and depression – disrupted sleep is common if you go to bed with a lot on your mind.

However, in REM sleep, your heart rate and respirations are at a similar rate to when you are awake, and your brain is busy, actively processing emotions and memories,' notes the expert.ĭr Lee explains that reasons for broken sleep include: 'In deep sleep, your heart rate and breathing slow right down, and your body is actively undergoing processes of cellular growth and repair. During REM sleep you often have vivid dreams,' she says.ĭeep sleep is sometimes confused with REM sleep but the two are actually quite different. In REM sleep, brain wave recordings show similar electrical activity to being awake. 'The second part of the cycle is REM sleep. Passing through these four stages of NREM sleep takes about an hour,' explains Dr Lee. 'Stage four is called deep sleep because it is the hardest part of the sleep cycle to wake anyone up. People who have disrupted sleep often have less deep sleep, because they don't reach the latter stages of NREM so often.

Stage four - the deepest level of sleep, where EEG recordings show long frequency, delta waves called slow waves.

Stage three - this is moderately deep sleep.

Stage one - the initial drowsy period when you first start to fall asleep, which only lasts a few minutes.

This is slow-wave sleep, and usually represents between 13% -23% of time spent asleep.' 'Deep sleep takes place during the latter part – stages three and four - of NREM sleep.

That's because, Dr Lee says, there are two stages of sleep: 'Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep which accounts for 75% of sleep, and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep which makes up the other 25%,' she explains. However, few of us manage to achieve this regularly. The dream situation (excuse the pun) is to be the type of person who falls asleep quickly, and not disturb until the next morning. We must ensure we get the right amount of sleep, but also that our sleep has the right quality.' Why do we have broken sleep, and how does it happen? In a lifetime, we spend around one-third of our lives asleep. 'Many people do not realise sleep is just as necessary for survival as the need for food and water. 'Sleep is not just a trivial pastime, it’s essential for a healthy mind and body,' Dr Deborah Lee, GP at Dr Fox Online Pharmacy tells Cosmopolitan.

Tossing and turning all night can often leave you feeling worse - so what can you do to ensure that the time you are asleep is regenerating and refreshing as much as possible? While getting a solid eight hours might be easier for many of us due to the pandemic, there's no guarantee that more sleep = quality sleep. A spa weekend or great yoga class is all well and good, but the effects of sleeping deeply are unparalleled. There's nothing quite like waking up feeling fresh after a long, deep sleep.

Sleep expert uk