How to Get More Deep Sleep

To get more deep sleep, keep a consistent wake-up time, sleep in a cool, dark room, cut caffeine after early afternoon, go easy on evening alcohol, get daylight and exercise during the day, and wind down properly before bed, ideally with a cup of valerian tea.* In a sleep lab study, two weeks of valerian increased deep, slow-wave sleep.* [1]

Deep sleep is driven by your body clock and the "sleep pressure" you build through the day. The habits below protect both. Do them consistently and deep sleep tends to take care of itself.

 

What Is Deep Sleep, and How Much Do You Need?

Deep sleep, also called slow-wave sleep, is the most physically restorative stage of your night. It is when your body repairs tissue, your brain consolidates memory, and the glymphatic system clears metabolic waste from the brain.

Most healthy adults spend roughly 13 to 23% of the night in deep sleep, about one to two hours over a seven to nine hour night. Two things are worth knowing:

• Most deep sleep happens in the first half of the night, so a late bedtime or a disrupted early night costs you the most.
• Deep sleep naturally declines with age, so getting less as you get older is normal. [2] What matters is waking up feeling restored.

Why You're Not Getting Enough Deep Sleep

The most common deep sleep thieves are late caffeine, evening alcohol, an inconsistent schedule, a warm room and stress.

• Caffeine lingers for hours: in a sleep study, caffeine six hours before bed still cut more than an hour from total sleep. [3]
• Alcohol disrupts the second half of the night as it wears off, bringing lighter, more broken sleep. [4]
• A warm room makes it harder for your core temperature to fall, which is essential for deep sleep. [5]
• Stress keeps your nervous system on alert, holding you in lighter sleep. [6]

If you recognize several of these, that is good news: they are all fixable.

Signs You're Not Getting Enough Deep Sleep

You can sleep eight hours and still miss out on deep sleep. Common signs include:

• Waking up unrefreshed, even after a full night in bed.
• Needing caffeine to function by mid morning.
• Brain fog, forgetfulness or trouble concentrating, because deep sleep is when memories consolidate.
• Craving sugar and carbohydrates during the day.
• Feeling physically achy or slow to recover after exercise.

If several sound familiar, the nine steps below are where to start.

Nine Research-Backed Ways to Get More Deep Sleep

1. Keep the Same Wake-Up Time Every Day

The single most powerful lever. A consistent wake time anchors your body clock, which governs when deep sleep arrives. Stay within an hour, even on weekends.

2. Cool the Room

Aim for about 18°C (65°F). Your core temperature needs to fall for deep sleep, and a cool bedroom helps it happen. [5]

3. Get Bright Light Early

Morning daylight within an hour of waking sharpens your body clock and strengthens the night's sleep drive. A short walk outside does double duty.

4. Move Your Body During the Day

Regular exercise increases deep sleep. A meta analysis found physical activity improves sleep, including slow-wave sleep. [7] Finish vigorous workouts a couple of hours before bed.

5. Cut Caffeine After Early Afternoon

Set a hard stop around 2 pm. Swapping your afternoon coffee or black tea for a caffeine-free herbal tea is one of the easiest wins there is.

6. Go Easy on Evening Alcohol

Even one or two drinks can fragment your night. [4] Finish any drinks a few hours before bed, or skip them on nights you want deep rest.

7. Darken Everything

Even small amounts of light push you toward lighter sleep. Room light before bed also suppresses melatonin. [8] Use blackout curtains and cover glowing LEDs.

8. Wind Down With Valerian Tea

This is where tea makes a direct difference.* Valerian root's valerenic acid binds to GABA-A receptors and amplifies GABA, the brain's main calming signal.* [9] In a sleep lab study, two weeks of valerian increased slow-wave (deep) sleep and shortened the time it took to reach it.* [1] Chamomile adds calm: a 2024 meta analysis found it especially improved staying asleep.* [10] A warm cup also anchors a calming ritual that lowers arousal before bed.

9. Manage Stress Before It Reaches the Pillow

A racing mind is one of the biggest enemies of deep sleep. Write tomorrow's to-do list (it helped people fall asleep faster in a sleep lab study), [11] breathe slowly with long exhales, and let your tea do its work.

Where Tea Fits: The Deep Sleep Cup

A valerian and chamomile tea supports deep sleep three ways at once.*

1. It replaces caffeine. Swapping a late coffee or black tea for a caffeine-free herbal removes one of the biggest deep sleep thieves.
2. It delivers active compounds. Valerian's valerenic acid and chamomile's apigenin calm the GABA system, and valerian has been shown to increase deep sleep.* [1] [9] [12]
3. It builds the ritual. A nightly cup becomes the cue that lowers stress and eases you into the deep-sleep-rich early hours.

That is the formula behind Sleep Restore Tea: valerian root and chamomile with peppermint, spearmint, lemongrass, hibiscus, rosehip and blue cornflower, 100% caffeine-free. Valerian's benefits build over two to four weeks of nightly use, and one 24-bag pouch covers more than three weeks.* [13] For the whole evening, the Evening Unwind bundle turns your wind-down into a ritual. Waking in the night? Read Why Can't I Stay Asleep?

A Sample Deep Sleep Evening

Put the steps together and a deep sleep evening looks like this:

Time	What to do
2:00 pm	Last caffeine of the day
6:30 pm	Dinner finished; skip or finish any alcohol early
9:00 pm	Dim the lights, cool the bedroom to about 18°C (65°F)
9:15 pm	Brew Sleep Restore, covered, 5 to 7 minutes
9:30 pm	Phone away; write tomorrow's list; sip slowly
10:00 pm	Lights out in a dark room
6:30 am	Same wake time every day; get outside for morning light

Adjust the times to your own bedtime. The order is what matters.

The Avodah Moment: Rest Is Not a Reward

Avodah means devotion and service. Many of us treat deep rest as something we earn only after everything is done. But deep sleep is when your body repairs itself so you can keep showing up for the people and work you love.

Tonight, protect it. Brew your Sleep Restore, cover it, and let it steep while you cool the room and dim the lights. Sit, sip slowly, and breathe: in for four, out for six. Rest is not a reward for a finished day. It is the foundation for tomorrow's.

You cannot pour from an empty cup. This is where you fill yours.

Shop Sleep Restore Tea

Frequently Asked Questions

How much deep sleep do I need?

Most adults get about one to two hours a night, roughly 13 to 23% of total sleep. It naturally decreases with age.

How can I increase deep sleep naturally?

Keep a consistent wake time, cool and darken your room, get morning light and daily exercise, cut caffeine after early afternoon, limit evening alcohol, and wind down with a valerian and chamomile tea.*

What reduces deep sleep?

Alcohol, late caffeine, a warm bedroom, stress, an irregular schedule and age all reduce deep sleep. Alcohol and late caffeine are the fastest to fix.

Does tea help you get deeper sleep?

Yes. Valerian increased deep, slow-wave sleep in a sleep lab study, and swapping a caffeinated evening drink for a caffeine-free herbal removes a major deep sleep thief.*

Why do I wake up tired even after 8 hours?

Often it is a lack of deep sleep rather than total sleep, commonly from evening alcohol or late caffeine. If it persists, or you snore heavily, talk to your doctor.

What is the best tea for deep sleep?

A caffeine-free blend of valerian root and chamomile, like Sleep Restore Tea.*

References

1.          Donath F, Quispe S, Diefenbach K, Maurer A, Fietze I, Roots I. Critical evaluation of the effect of valerian extract on sleep structure and sleep quality. Pharmacopsychiatry. 2000;33(2):47-53.

2.          Ohayon MM, Carskadon MA, Guilleminault C, Vitiello MV. Meta-analysis of quantitative sleep parameters from childhood to old age in healthy individuals. Sleep. 2004;27(7):1255-1273.

3.          Drake C, Roehrs T, Shambroom J, Roth T. Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. J Clin Sleep Med. 2013;9(11):1195-1200.

4.          Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB. Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013;37(4):539-549.

5.          Okamoto-Mizuno K, Mizuno K. Effects of thermal environment on sleep and circadian rhythm. J Physiol Anthropol. 2012;31:14.

6.          Kalmbach DA, Anderson JR, Drake CL. The impact of stress on sleep: pathogenic sleep reactivity as a vulnerability to insomnia and circadian disorders. J Sleep Res. 2018;27(6):e12710.

7.          Kredlow MA, Capozzoli MC, Hearon BA, Calkins AW, Otto MW. The effects of physical activity on sleep: a meta-analytic review. J Behav Med. 2015;38(3):427-449.

8.          Gooley JJ, Chamberlain K, Smith KA, et al. Exposure to room light before bedtime suppresses melatonin onset and shortens melatonin duration in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96(3):E463-E472.

9.          Benke D, Barberis A, Kopp S, et al. GABA A receptors as in vivo substrate for the anxiolytic action of valerenic acid, a major constituent of valerian root extracts. Neuropharmacology. 2009;56(1):174-181. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18602406/

10.      Kazemi A, Shojaei-Zarghani S, Eskandarzadeh P, Hashempur MH. Effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Complement Ther Med. 2024;84:103071. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229924000591

11.      Scullin MK, Krueger ML, Ballard HK, Pruett N, Bliwise DL. The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: a polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2018;147(1):139-146.

12.      Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S. Chamomile: a herbal medicine of the past with bright future. Mol Med Rep. 2010;3(6):895-901. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2995283/

13.      Bent S, Padula A, Moore D, Patterson M, Mehling W. Valerian for sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Med. 2006;119(12):1005-1012.