On the flip side, a lack of deep sleep is linked to memory problems, especially in older adults. But studies show sleep tends to favor memories that’ll be important in the future. Those are connections formed when your brain cells talk to each other.Įxperts aren’t exactly sure how your brain decides what to keep. The idea is that you get rid of unneeded synapses. Scientists think the brain frees up space and energy while you sleep. Experts explain this housecleaning method with a theory called synaptic homeostasis. Research suggests this neural “crosstalk” is how sleep helps memories go from short-term to long-term storage. Along with your slow delta waves, you get fast bursts of brain activity called sharp-wave ripples and sleep spindles. Certain brain rhythms work together to transfer that new knowledge from a part of your brain called the hippocampus to a different area called the neocortex. While you sleep, your brain replays what you learned earlier. That’ll help you recall info later.Įxperts explain this with a theory called active system consolidation. Deep sleep helps make those memories stronger. When you take in new information, you store it for a short time. If you’re under 30, you’ll get about 2 hours of deep sleep a night. Certain things affect how much you’ll get. But about 20% of your overall sleep will be deep. You’ll spend less time in N3 as the night goes on. But more research is needed to know if deep sleep causes this process. It’s the liquid around your brain and spinal cord. That’s because more cerebrospinal fluid flows in and out. During this slow-wave activity (SWA), your brain waves are more predictable.Įxperts think SWA helps wash out waste from your brain. You get slower, larger brain waves called delta waves. Your brain cells, called neurons, fire less often. But during deep sleep, you mostly tune out the outside world. That’s because you’re responding to a lot of different activity. When you’re awake, your brain waves move fast and are all over the place.
You respond less to external stimuli, like loud noises.But if they do, you’ll feel a little confused. It’ll be really hard for someone to wake you up. You’ll get most of your SWS in the first half of the night. That’s often called N3 or slow-wave sleep (SWS). Your deep sleep happens in stage three of NREM. You cycle in and out of NREM and REM every 90 minutes or so. You can divide sleep into two types: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM). It’s why you shouldn’t skimp on a good night’s rest. That includes depression, heart disease, and diabetes. But they know that a lack of it raises your chances of mental and physical health problems. And research shows it may help clear out toxins from your brain.Įxperts don’t fully understand the need for sleep. Good quality deep sleep strengthens your memories and your immune system.
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