We’ve all heard of “beauty rest” and rolled our eyes. However, that’s not just some meaningless saying. Getting deep, restorative sleep is actually essential to our health, wellness, and, yeah, our looks too.
Most of us know we need to get better sleep. But let’s be real, that’s easier said than done. Between hectic schedules, caffeine overload, chronic stress, and constant overstimulation, getting a good night’s rest is easier said than slept.
The good news is that there are plenty of proven sleep habits that can help you relax your body, fall asleep, and actually wake up well-rested—and, guess what? They’re all naturélle. No pills or procedures required.
If you're ready to change the way you sleep at night and transform the way you feel during the day, here’s where to start:
How to Become a Deep Sleeper and Actually Wake Up Rested
Whether you’ve always battled insomnia, you’re recently struggling, or you just want to optimize your habits, you probably want to know what habit changes could lead to better sleep.
In this post, we’ll talk about what deep sleep is, why it matters, and how you can get it. The good news is that deep sleep isn’t reserved for traditionally “good sleepers.” It’s something you can actively support with the right habits and environment.
What Is Deep Sleep?
If you’ve gone a long time (or even forever) without a good night’s rest, you may be totally sleep deprived. You may have forgotten what deep sleep actually is. Let us help remind you:
Deep sleep is when your body fully relaxes, and your mind finally powers down. You’re not replaying the day or worrying about tomorrow. Your body doesn’t feel restless or wired. It feels calm and settled.
When you get deep sleep, you fall asleep and stay asleep easily. And when you wake up, you feel genuinely restored—mind, body, and soul included.
It really is this powerful because good, deep sleep allows your body to do its most important work overnight. Think: regulating energy, balancing hormones, supporting immune health, and helping you recover from the day. And, naturally, all of these factors play a role in how rested you feel when you wake up!
The point is, sleep has a purpose. Deep sleep is when your body actually gets it done.
What are the Benefits of Deep Sleep?
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Healthier Skin, Hair, and Nails
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Higher Daytime Energy Levels
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Faster Muscle Recovery
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Stronger Immune System
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Balanced Hormones
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Better Memory and Cognitive Function
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More Stable Mood and Less Stress
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Improved Metabolism
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Reduced Inflammation
How Much Deep Sleep Do You Need?
Experts recommend that adults get 7–9 hours of sleep per night to feel rested and function at their best.
But what about deep sleep specifically? Many people don’t realize that “deep sleep” is technically just one stage of your nightly rest. Sleep happens in phases, and each one serves a different purpose.
Here’s a breakdown of how it works:
Stage One: Light Sleep (NREM 1)
This is the transition from wakefulness to sleep, when brain activity just begins to slow. You can still wake easily during this stage. It typically makes up 5–10% of your night.
Stage Two: Deeper Light Sleep (NREM 2)
This is true sleep, where your body fully disengages from the outside world. Your heart rate and breathing slow, and your body temperature drops. You’ll spend most of your night here, since it makes up about 45–55% of total sleep.
Stage Three: Deep Sleep (NREM 3)
This is the most physically restorative stage of sleep. During deep sleep, tissues repair, hormones regulate, the immune system strengthens, and your brain waves slow to support nervous system recovery.
It accounts for only 15–25% of total sleep, meaning most adults get just 1-2 hours per night.
Stage Four: REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement)
This is another stage of deep sleep where all your mental recovery happens. Here, you dream, and your brain processes memories, emotions, creativity, and learning.
REM sleep makes up 20–25% of total sleep, or about 1.5–2 hours per night.
How to Get More Deep Sleep
Make sure you get outside during the day.
Getting outside during the day is one of the most important ways to improve your sleep quality.
Natural sunlight changes in intensity and composition throughout the day, signaling our bodies when to wake up and when to wind down for bed. Pretty amazing, right?
A quick walk in the morning and evening can do SO much for your sleep. But even if you’re not game for a walk, just sitting outside for a coffee or beauty water can have huge benefits.
Don’t skip daily movement—even on rest days.
It’s true that you shouldn’t be doing intense workouts every day. Recovery and rest days are essential for a healthy exercise routine.
That said, rest days don’t mean sitting on the couch all day. Gentle movement like yoga, Pilates, or stretching can support your sleep routine without pushing your body too hard.
Daily physical activity builds “sleep pressure.” That means the exercise increases your body’s natural drive to sleep. It also helps regulate your circadian rhythm, lower stress hormones, and train your nervous system to relax at the right times.
Practice better stress management throughout your day.
Cortisol is the name for the body’s stress hormones—and it’s the enemy to sleep. While you’re feeling stressed, your body stays awake to handle the “emergency.”
To sleep well, you’ve got to practice good stress management techniques. Deep nasal breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, journaling, reading, hot-cold therapy, good self-care routines, and strict boundaries all help calm the mind for better sleep.
Cut caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals several hours before bed.
Before bed, be really mindful about what you put in your body. So many of our favorite “vices” don’t actually help reduce stress or improve sleep. Things like caffeine, alcohol, and heavy comfort meals do the opposite.
Caffeine is an obvious one. It’s literally made to keep you awake, so drinking it anytime after 5:00 pm can definitely prevent you from getting deep sleep.
Alcohol (yes, even a glass of wine) before bed can fragment sleep cycles. Essentially, it’s a recipe for waking up a lot after you finally fall asleep. Plus, depending on the type of drink, it can mess with your blood sugar, too!
Why does blood sugar matter? Big spikes and crashes can trigger stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline while you sleep. That means that, at some point, those ups and downs can pull you out of deep, restorative stages of rest.
That’s why heavy, late-night meals (especially if they have lots of carbs or sugar) can leave you waking up restless and sweaty at 3 a.m.
Giving your body time to digest before bed helps stabilize blood sugar and calm your nervous system. AKA, it sets the stage for deeper, more consistent sleep. If you want a late-night treat, drink herbal tea, or eat a protein snack (like PaleoValley beef sticks) or dark chocolate.
Start your digital sunset an hour before bedtime.
Research shows that blue light suppresses natural melatonin, the hormone your body needs to get restorative sleep. So even if you feel tired while looking at your phone or working on your laptop, the light is telling your brain it’s still daytime.
Beyond blue light exposure, watching TV, boredom scrolling, or using other screen-based devices is also super overstimulating. These activities keep your nervous system activated, making it harder to fully relax before bed.
To help your body prepare for sleep, aim to go screen-free at least an hour before bedtime. Use that time instead to start your wind-down routine. (More on that in a bit.)
Consider sleep-supporting supplements other than melatonin.
Using melatonin or other forms of sleep medicine long-term is usually not recommended. Over time, taking melatonin can actually mess with your brain’s ability to regulate its own hormone levels.
Plus, while melatonin can help you fall asleep, it doesn’t help you stay asleep or get deeper sleep. There are actually better supplements for that—ones you can take long-term.
There’s lots of research on the benefits of magnesium, L-theanine, chamomile, and valerian root. But you don’t need to take about half a dozen different supplements just to get a good night’s sleep.
Instead, get a high-quality blend like Arrae’s Magnesium and Sleep supplements to cover your bases. And if ordering Arrae, use code SKINNY for 10% off one-time purchases or 25% off the first month’s subscription.
Do a red-light therapy session in the evening.
Red light therapy has many benefits, and improved sleep is one of them. Using a full-body red light device can help shift your body from a wired, stressed state into one that feels calm and relaxed. This is why we love it in the evening.
Red light therapy may also support muscle relaxation, reduce inflammation, and promote healthy cellular function. Fortunately, all of these can also contribute to deeper rest and better recovery as you sleep.
For best results, try a red light therapy session 30–60 minutes before bed, paired with gentle stretching or mobility work.
Listen to the episode of the Him & Her Show called Better Skin, Better Sleep, and A Better Life - The Benefits of Red Light Therapy to learn more!
Try a weighted blanket or adult swaddle.
A lot of people love weighted blankets or adult swaddles to go from light sleepers to heavy sleepers. They work by activating deep pressure stimulation, which signals a sense of safety and relaxation to the nervous system.
They can also reduce tossing and turning, helping you stay asleep longer. This makes it easier for your body to remain in deeper, more restorative stages of sleep throughout the night.
Create a bedroom oasis you actually want to sleep in.
Your bedroom can help cue your brain that it’s time to sleep. Reserve the space for rest only, and create a calm, serene environment that supports relaxation at night.
Here are some things you can do to curate your bedroom oasis:
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Keep it cool. Experts recommend a temperature range of 60-67 degrees.
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Control lighting with blackout curtains, red bulbs, salt rock lamps, and dim lighting.
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Block out loud noise using a white noise machine or fan.
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Invest in comfortable and aesthetic bedding.
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Place fresh greenery or high-quality faux plants around the room.
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Use an essential oil diffuser or The Skinny Confidential Non-Toxic Candle.
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Ban most electronics from entering the bedroom.
Here’s more on how to create a zen bedroom you’ll never want to leave.
Establish a calming wind-down routine.
About an hour before bed (when screens get turned off), start your wind-down routine. Just like the bedroom, it’ll help tell your body it’s time to stop the racing thoughts and restless muscles.
It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it definitely shouldn’t feel like a chore. In fact, it should be one of your favorite parts of any evening! Here are some things you can do:
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Read a book from Lauryn’s GoodReads page.
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Do gentle stretching or light mobility exercises
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Take a bubble bath or a warm shower—dry brush beforehand.
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Spend time journaling or doing a quick brain dump.
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Listen to calming music.
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Lay out your clothes for the next day.
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Sip on your favorite tea.
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Apply your evening skincare—finish with a face massage. (Here’s how to use a face massager.)
Never go to bed without mouth tape.
One of the most effective ways to support deeper, more restorative sleep is using mouth tape. It works by gently encouraging nasal breathing while you sleep.
Why does that matter? Nasal breathing offers several benefits over mouth breathing—and better sleep is one of them.
Breathing through your nose supports more efficient oxygen delivery. And with that, it helps activate your body’s “rest and digest” response (the opposite of fight-or-flight).
Mouth taping can also help prevent you from waking up because of dry mouth or throat irritation. Instead of waking up with bad breath, coughing, or dryness, you’re more likely to wake up feeling refreshed and totally comfortable.
If you’re curious, here’s exactly how mouth tape works. But don’t skip this step—many of our readers say this one habit completely transformed the way they sleep. We couldn’t agree more.
You can order The Skinny Confidential Mouth Tape right here on the TSC Shop. We recommend signing up for subscribe and save so you always have a fresh strip ready at bedtime, totally hassle-free.
Note: Talk to your doctor before using mouth tape if you have sleep apnea or other pre-existing conditions.
Stick to a consistent sleep schedule.
Whatever you do, keep it consistent. It’s one of the best ways to train your body to sleep better. Stick to the same wind-down routine, go to bed at the same time, and wake up at the same time each day. Research shows that this consistency is one of the most effective ways to support better sleep long term.
Care for your body before bed and use Mouth Tape for the best sleep of your life!
Becoming a deep sleeper isn’t about perfection or overnight fixes—it’s about supporting your body in small, consistent ways. When you align your habits and environment with what your nervous system actually needs, better sleep follows naturally.
Start with one or two changes, stay consistent, and let deep, restorative sleep become your new normal.
Want even more? You can find wellness tools for your nightly routine at The Skinny Confidential Shop. Better sleep is right around the corner.
