Deep Sleep and the Impact of Delta Waves

A delta wave is a type of high amplitude brain wave found in humans that is associated with deep sleep. Delta waves have a frequency from one to three hertz (Hz) and are measured using an electroencephalogram (EEG).

These brain waves are thought to emerge from the thalamus and are generally associated with slow-wave sleep (which begins during the third stage of sleep.) This period of time during which delta waves occur is often known as deep sleep.

How Delta Waves Are Measured During Deep Sleep

During the initial stages of sleep, people are still awake and somewhat alert. At this point, the quick and small beta waves are produced. Eventually, the brain begins to slow down and slower waves known asalpha wavescan be observed with an EEG. Once asleep, the stages of sleep can begin:

Delta waves are associated with the deep sleep stages: stage 3 and REM. During stage 3, less than half of brain waves consist of delta waves, while more than half of brain activity consists of delta waves during REM sleep.

How to Get More Deep Sleep

Improving yoursleep hygienecan help you get more deep sleep each night. “Sleep hygiene” refers to the daily habits you follow that lead to a good night’s sleep. If you’re struggling, try:

Sometimes, remaining in bed when you’re having trouble falling asleep can lead to feelings of frustration and stress, which can worsen your sleeplessness. If you can’t fall asleep, try getting out of bed and taking part in a relaxing activity like:

Some mental health conditions can cause problems with sleep. If you’re struggling to get enough rest due toanxiety,depression, or another issue, seeking help from a qualified mental health professional may be the right next step. A therapist or psychiatrist can help you address the underlying cause so you can get the rest you need.

How to Sleep Better

Interesting Facts About Delta Waves

Interestingly, research has found thatwomen display more delta wave activity than men.Females among most other mammalian species display a similar tendency, although researchers have not yet agreed on a specific reason why. Ketogenic diets, which are very high in fat and low in carbohydrates, can cause delta wave increases.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much deep sleep do you need every night?

What music is best for deep sleep and delta waves?

How much deep sleep do people get on average?

Many of us don’t get enough deep sleep—or enough sleep in general. Around one-third of American adults getfewer than seven hours of sleepeach night.The amount of deep sleep we get each night also tends to decline with age. Adults age 60 and older may only spend about 2% of their night in deep sleep.

13 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.APA Dictionary of Psychology: Delta wave.İnce R, Adanır SS, Sevmez F.The inventor of electroencephalography (EEG): Hans Berger (1873–1941).Childs Nerv Syst. 2021;37(9):2723-2724. doi:10.1007/s00381-020-04564-zKayaba M, Park I, Iwayama K, et al.Energy metabolism differs between sleep stages and begins to increase prior to awakening.Metab Clin Exp. 2017;69:14-23. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2016.12.016National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Brain basics: Understanding sleep.Zolovska B, Shatkin JP.Key differences in pediatric versus adult sleep.Encyclopedia of Sleep. Stanford, CA; 2013. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-378610-4.00496-4Bernardi G, Betta M, Ricciardi E, Pietrini P, Tononi G, Siclari F.Regional delta waves in human rapid eye movement sleep.J Neurosci.2019;39(14):2686-2697. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2298-18.2019Green A, Cohen-Zion M, Haim A, Dagan Y.Evening light exposure to computer screens disrupts human sleep, biological rhythms, and attention abilities.Chronobiol Int. 2017;34(7):855-865. doi:10.1080/07420528.2017.1324878Garcia AN, Salloum IM.Polysomnographic sleep disturbances in nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, cocaine, opioid, and cannabis use: A focused review.Am J Addict. 2015;24(7):590-598. doi:10.1111/ajad.12291St-Onge M-P, Mikic A, Pietrolungo CE.Effects of diet on sleep quality.Adv Nutr. 2016;7(5):938-949. doi:10.3945/an.116.012336Sekimoto M, Kato M, Watanabe T, Kajimura N, Takahashi K.Cortical regional differences of delta waves during all-night sleep in schizophrenia.Schizophr Res. 2011;126(1-3):284-290. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2010.11.003Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB.Alcohol and sleep I: Effects on normal sleep.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013;37(4):539-549. doi:10.1111/acer.12006Cordi MJ, Ackermann S, Rasch B.Effects of relaxing music on healthy sleep.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):9079. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-45608-yLiu Y, Wheaton AG, Chapman DP, et al.Prevalence of healthy sleep duration among adults — United States, 2014.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6506a1

13 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.APA Dictionary of Psychology: Delta wave.İnce R, Adanır SS, Sevmez F.The inventor of electroencephalography (EEG): Hans Berger (1873–1941).Childs Nerv Syst. 2021;37(9):2723-2724. doi:10.1007/s00381-020-04564-zKayaba M, Park I, Iwayama K, et al.Energy metabolism differs between sleep stages and begins to increase prior to awakening.Metab Clin Exp. 2017;69:14-23. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2016.12.016National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Brain basics: Understanding sleep.Zolovska B, Shatkin JP.Key differences in pediatric versus adult sleep.Encyclopedia of Sleep. Stanford, CA; 2013. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-378610-4.00496-4Bernardi G, Betta M, Ricciardi E, Pietrini P, Tononi G, Siclari F.Regional delta waves in human rapid eye movement sleep.J Neurosci.2019;39(14):2686-2697. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2298-18.2019Green A, Cohen-Zion M, Haim A, Dagan Y.Evening light exposure to computer screens disrupts human sleep, biological rhythms, and attention abilities.Chronobiol Int. 2017;34(7):855-865. doi:10.1080/07420528.2017.1324878Garcia AN, Salloum IM.Polysomnographic sleep disturbances in nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, cocaine, opioid, and cannabis use: A focused review.Am J Addict. 2015;24(7):590-598. doi:10.1111/ajad.12291St-Onge M-P, Mikic A, Pietrolungo CE.Effects of diet on sleep quality.Adv Nutr. 2016;7(5):938-949. doi:10.3945/an.116.012336Sekimoto M, Kato M, Watanabe T, Kajimura N, Takahashi K.Cortical regional differences of delta waves during all-night sleep in schizophrenia.Schizophr Res. 2011;126(1-3):284-290. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2010.11.003Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB.Alcohol and sleep I: Effects on normal sleep.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013;37(4):539-549. doi:10.1111/acer.12006Cordi MJ, Ackermann S, Rasch B.Effects of relaxing music on healthy sleep.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):9079. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-45608-yLiu Y, Wheaton AG, Chapman DP, et al.Prevalence of healthy sleep duration among adults — United States, 2014.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6506a1

American Psychological Association.APA Dictionary of Psychology: Delta wave.İnce R, Adanır SS, Sevmez F.The inventor of electroencephalography (EEG): Hans Berger (1873–1941).Childs Nerv Syst. 2021;37(9):2723-2724. doi:10.1007/s00381-020-04564-zKayaba M, Park I, Iwayama K, et al.Energy metabolism differs between sleep stages and begins to increase prior to awakening.Metab Clin Exp. 2017;69:14-23. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2016.12.016National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Brain basics: Understanding sleep.Zolovska B, Shatkin JP.Key differences in pediatric versus adult sleep.Encyclopedia of Sleep. Stanford, CA; 2013. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-378610-4.00496-4Bernardi G, Betta M, Ricciardi E, Pietrini P, Tononi G, Siclari F.Regional delta waves in human rapid eye movement sleep.J Neurosci.2019;39(14):2686-2697. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2298-18.2019Green A, Cohen-Zion M, Haim A, Dagan Y.Evening light exposure to computer screens disrupts human sleep, biological rhythms, and attention abilities.Chronobiol Int. 2017;34(7):855-865. doi:10.1080/07420528.2017.1324878Garcia AN, Salloum IM.Polysomnographic sleep disturbances in nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, cocaine, opioid, and cannabis use: A focused review.Am J Addict. 2015;24(7):590-598. doi:10.1111/ajad.12291St-Onge M-P, Mikic A, Pietrolungo CE.Effects of diet on sleep quality.Adv Nutr. 2016;7(5):938-949. doi:10.3945/an.116.012336Sekimoto M, Kato M, Watanabe T, Kajimura N, Takahashi K.Cortical regional differences of delta waves during all-night sleep in schizophrenia.Schizophr Res. 2011;126(1-3):284-290. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2010.11.003Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB.Alcohol and sleep I: Effects on normal sleep.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013;37(4):539-549. doi:10.1111/acer.12006Cordi MJ, Ackermann S, Rasch B.Effects of relaxing music on healthy sleep.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):9079. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-45608-yLiu Y, Wheaton AG, Chapman DP, et al.Prevalence of healthy sleep duration among adults — United States, 2014.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6506a1

American Psychological Association.APA Dictionary of Psychology: Delta wave.

İnce R, Adanır SS, Sevmez F.The inventor of electroencephalography (EEG): Hans Berger (1873–1941).Childs Nerv Syst. 2021;37(9):2723-2724. doi:10.1007/s00381-020-04564-z

Kayaba M, Park I, Iwayama K, et al.Energy metabolism differs between sleep stages and begins to increase prior to awakening.Metab Clin Exp. 2017;69:14-23. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2016.12.016

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Brain basics: Understanding sleep.

Zolovska B, Shatkin JP.Key differences in pediatric versus adult sleep.Encyclopedia of Sleep. Stanford, CA; 2013. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-378610-4.00496-4

Bernardi G, Betta M, Ricciardi E, Pietrini P, Tononi G, Siclari F.Regional delta waves in human rapid eye movement sleep.J Neurosci.2019;39(14):2686-2697. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2298-18.2019

Green A, Cohen-Zion M, Haim A, Dagan Y.Evening light exposure to computer screens disrupts human sleep, biological rhythms, and attention abilities.Chronobiol Int. 2017;34(7):855-865. doi:10.1080/07420528.2017.1324878

Garcia AN, Salloum IM.Polysomnographic sleep disturbances in nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, cocaine, opioid, and cannabis use: A focused review.Am J Addict. 2015;24(7):590-598. doi:10.1111/ajad.12291

St-Onge M-P, Mikic A, Pietrolungo CE.Effects of diet on sleep quality.Adv Nutr. 2016;7(5):938-949. doi:10.3945/an.116.012336

Sekimoto M, Kato M, Watanabe T, Kajimura N, Takahashi K.Cortical regional differences of delta waves during all-night sleep in schizophrenia.Schizophr Res. 2011;126(1-3):284-290. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2010.11.003

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. doi:10.1111/acer.12006

Cordi MJ, Ackermann S, Rasch B.Effects of relaxing music on healthy sleep.Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):9079. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-45608-y

Liu Y, Wheaton AG, Chapman DP, et al.Prevalence of healthy sleep duration among adults — United States, 2014.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6506a1

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How Delta Waves Are Measured During Deep Sleep#

How to Get More Deep Sleep#

Interesting Facts About Delta Waves#

Frequently Asked Questions#

How much deep sleep do you need every night?#

What music is best for deep sleep and delta waves?#

How much deep sleep do people get on average?#