The Truth About Getting Deeper Sleep

Do you wake up TO every little noise or movement at night? Such is the dilemma of the light sleeper. And while being a light sleeper isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can make getting a good night’s sleep difficult.

Deep sleepers are the opposite. They may be able to sleep through just about anything! But is it possible for a light sleeper to become a deep sleeper? In this video, clinical psychologist and sleep expert, Dr. Michael Breus, explains the biological processes behind light sleepers and offers some tips and tricks you can use to improve the quantity of your deep sleep each night.

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0:00 What is a Light Sleeper?
0:49 Light Sleep Stages vs. Deep Sleep Stages
1:19 What are Sleep Spindles?
1:56 Dolphin: The Chronotype of Light Sleepers
2:48 Is it Possible for a Light Sleeper to Become a Heavy Sleeper?
3:06 Tips for Increasing Deep Sleep

😴 Michael Breus, Ph.D., is a double board-certified clinical psychologist and sleep expert. He's been in practice since 1999 and helped thousands of patients improve their sleep. Dr. Breus has written five books on sleep and conducted over 1,000 interviews to the press and public.

[NZWyvern]

It blew my mind when you said 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I usually have waking periods of 3-5 times a night and get next to no deep sleep. I will try the consistent sleep and wake times to see if that helps

[GinaK]

Thanks Dr. B! Dolphin here 🙋🏻‍♀️🐬White noise and a consistent sleep schedule helps me a LOT. I also box breathe and I swear it works almost every night to get me to sleep quickly!

[CS-znsg]

I was “born” a deep sleeper. I used to be able to sleep 8-10 hours uninterrupted, through a dang earthquake—until the pandemic. Now, the last 4 years I can hear a pin drop in my sleep. Like so many others I’m experiencing insomnia and fragmented sleep for the first time due to lingering, deep seated psychological stress of the pandemic. I’m trying everything I can to help but haven’t found something that works consistently. So I think you can be “born” a deep sleeper and involuntarily become a light sleeper

[duckinabowtiegaming]

Hey sleep doc can you make a video on how to sleep when you're stressed. I can't fall asleep because stressful thoughts keep me up at night.

[griver]

Ive not been able to sleep longer then 4 hours for about 10 years. I have tried everything. It has destroyed my mental health, close to giving up

[kellys]

You are the BEST. I have gotten so much help from watching you. I use a fan for the sound to block sounds from our very quiet house. It helps so much.

[pdzombie]

Hi, Doc Sleep!! Being a HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) makes me a light sleeper, is there any recommendation as I doubt I can sleep all the way through the night?

[tonycommercial]

Can you recommend a good app to measure sleep on Iphone please?

[lucyeaston]

I think I have apnea...my app shows I wake myself up multiple times..no wonder I'm always tired

[lkjhb]

I'm a light sleeper and a huge insomniac risk. It makes it hard to survive in this capitalist society. I can't work a typical 9 to 5 job because it causes Insomnia for me.

[seanking]

How can you tell if you’re in light sleep???

I feel like if I’m not in a deep sleep I am not actually sleeping?

[geoffwitt]

How are people to find a sleep doctor locally? There is no specialty? Or is there?

[andymerrett]

I wish there was something like ear plugs that didn't make me feel so ill. I hate the feeling of them in my ears. It makes my whole head feel "full" and I simply hear my heartbeat instead!

[StrideOrDie]

As someone who has run eight marathons, I can confirm they do NOT yield a better night’s sleep lol 😂

[rsalc]

I'm highly disappointed on your website. I created a profile after I took the test. It won't let me login. I clicked on reset password. I got an email with a link to reset. Did so. I still can't login, so ya know... it's not worth my time.

[kathryncook]

Great. Deep sleeper. How to stop deep sleeping! I cant wake up in the morning.

[ampstudios]

not everybody can get 7-9 hours of sleep, you know that is not the reality of everybody.

[muhammadofei]

Is there a certain time we should all go to bed by?

[Callitout-kluq]

Light sleepers and heavy sleepers were born that way? I don’t think so.

I have slept in the same room as people celebrating a team winni n the World Series. That was when I was in my late teens. I’m now 50 and I get barely any deep sleep.

Something else is going on.

[Rinbabe]

I sleep so deeply even if someone slap me I won’t wake up