How to Increase Deep Sleep Tonight: 7 Proven Tips

Most sleep tips are too vague to help. After digging into the research on deep sleep, here are 7 protocols with exact timings, ranked by what actually works.

Deep sleep happens mostly in the first third of your night. That means what you do in the hours before bed matters more than anything else. Here are the methods that work, ranked by impact.

1. Drop Your Bedroom Temperature to 65-68°F (The Non-Negotiable)

This is the single most important change you can make.

Your body needs to drop its core temperature by 2-3°F to initiate deep sleep. If your room is too warm, this process stalls. Sleep researcher Dr. Andrew Huberman recommends keeping your bedroom "around 67°F (~19.4°C)" for optimal sleep.

Can't control your room temperature? Take a warm bath or shower 1-2 hours before bed. Sounds counterintuitive, but here's why it works: the warm water brings blood to your skin's surface. When you get out, that heat dissipates rapidly, dropping your core temperature faster than it would naturally. This is part of Huberman's complete protocol for falling asleep faster.

A 2019 meta-analysis found that a warm bath before bed increases deep sleep and helps you fall asleep faster. The effect was consistent across multiple studies.

Bottom line: If you only change one thing, make it temperature. Everything else is secondary.

2. Cut Caffeine by 2pm (Earlier Than You Think)

Most people know not to drink coffee at night. But afternoon caffeine is just as problematic.

Caffeine has a half-life of 5-6 hours. That means if you have a cup of coffee at 2pm, half that caffeine is still circulating at 8pm. A quarter is still there at 2am when you turn off the light.

Dr. Matthew Walker, neuroscientist and sleep researcher, puts it bluntly: "Caffeine will hurt your sleep in three ways most people are not aware of."

The numbers back this up. Research shows a single cup of evening coffee can decrease deep sleep by 20-40%. Doctor Mike explains it clearly: "Caffeine actually also impacts your ability to enter the deep stages of sleep, meaning that you might get a full night's sleep but not a restorative night's sleep."

The rule: Stop caffeine 8-10 hours before bed. For most people, that's a 2pm cutoff.

And remember, caffeine isn't just coffee. Tea, sodas, energy drinks, and pre-workouts all count.

3. Get Morning Sunlight (The Counterintuitive One)

This feels backwards. What does morning light have to do with tonight's sleep?

Everything. Morning light exposure resets your circadian rhythm, the internal clock that tells your body when to produce melatonin. Get that signal right in the morning, and your body knows exactly when to start winding down at night.

Dr. Huberman's protocol is simple: spend 10-15 minutes outside within the first hour of waking. No sunglasses. You don't need to stare at the sun (don't), just be outside where light can hit your eyes.

This single habit improves sleep onset, increases total sleep time, and directly affects deep sleep quality. Most sleep guides skip this because it happens 16 hours before bed. But it's one of the most effective tools available.

4. Stop Screens 1 Hour Before Bed (The Hard One)

Let's be honest. This one is difficult to follow.

But the research is clear. A 2022 study found that just 30 minutes of phone use before bed reduces deep sleep by approximately 20 minutes. That's a significant chunk when adults typically only get 1-2 hours of deep sleep per night.

Blue light from screens suppresses melatonin production. Your body thinks it's still daytime.

If you absolutely must use screens:

• Enable night shift/warm color mode
• Consider blue light blocking glasses
• Keep screens dimmer and at arm's length

Better alternatives for that last hour:

• Reading (physical book or e-ink device)
• Light stretching
• Journaling
• Conversation

The goal is signaling to your brain that the day is over.

5. Exercise Earlier, Not Later

Exercise helps deep sleep. That part is well-established. A 2021 study found that regular exercise increases the stability of deep sleep, making it more consistent and restorative.

But timing matters.

Exercise releases endorphins and raises your core body temperature, the opposite of what your body needs for sleep. Morning or afternoon workouts are ideal. If evening is your only option, finish at least 3 hours before bed.

The simple rule: Any movement is better than none. But if you have flexibility, morning workouts set you up for better sleep that night.

6. Avoid Alcohol (Even Small Amounts)

Alcohol feels like it helps you fall asleep. It doesn't help you stay asleep or reach deep sleep.

Here's what actually happens: alcohol fragments your sleep architecture. You cycle through sleep stages abnormally, spending less time in the restorative phases. Dr. Matthew Walker notes that alcohol "robs you of REM sleep," and the same applies to deep sleep.

Even small amounts matter. Research shows that approximately one standard drink (0.16g alcohol per kilogram of body weight for a 154-lb person) is enough to reduce deep sleep quality.

The honest advice: If deep sleep is your priority, skip alcohol entirely on nights when sleep quality matters most.

7. Eat Dinner Earlier (3+ Hours Before Bed)

Heavy meals close to bedtime interfere with sleep in two ways.

First, digestion is an active process. Your body diverts resources to breaking down food instead of focusing on repair and restoration.

Second, digestion raises core body temperature. Doctor Mike explains that high-fat, protein-heavy meals "can actually impact some of your hormones like orexin, which can keep you alert and not really sleepy."

Spicy foods are especially problematic. They can trigger acid reflux and raise body temperature even further.

The protocol:

• Finish heavy meals 3+ hours before bed
• If you're hungry before bed, choose light snacks (complex carbs work well)
• Avoid spicy, fatty, or high-protein foods in the final few hours

Now that you know how to get more of it, here's what deep sleep actually is.

Deep sleep is stage 3 of non-REM sleep. Adults typically spend 10-20% of their total sleep time in this phase, roughly 1-2 hours per night. Most of it happens in the first third of the night, which is why your pre-bed routine matters so much.

During deep sleep, your body handles physical restoration. Tissue repair happens here. Growth hormone releases. Your brain clears metabolic waste through the glymphatic system.

The key benefits:

• Physical recovery and tissue repair
• Hormone regulation (including growth hormone)
• Memory consolidation
• Immune system support

People who consistently get insufficient deep sleep face higher risks of cardiovascular issues, metabolic dysfunction, and cognitive decline over time.

Most sleep guides skip this, but middle-of-night waking is common. Here's what actually works when it happens.

The 20-minute rule: If you've been awake for more than 20-25 minutes, get out of bed. This sounds counterproductive, but staying in bed while awake trains your brain to associate the bed with wakefulness.

Go somewhere dimly lit. Don't check your phone. Don't turn on bright lights. Sit quietly or do something boring until you feel drowsy again.

Try the "mental walk" technique. Dr. Huberman mentions research showing this is more effective than counting sheep. Pick a familiar route (your childhood home, a regular walk) and mentally walk through it in vivid detail. The cognitive engagement occupies your anxious thoughts without stimulating alertness. If anxiety is a recurring issue affecting your sleep, see our guide on sleep optimization tips for anxiety.

What not to do:

• Don't check the time repeatedly
• Don't reach for your phone
• Don't lie there stressing about not sleeping

If you're overwhelmed by options, focus here:

1. Temperature. This is the foundation. A cool bedroom (65-68°F) is non-negotiable for quality deep sleep.

2. Caffeine timing. Cut off by 2pm. The half-life math doesn't lie.

3. Consistent wake time. This didn't make the main list because it affects total sleep architecture more than deep sleep specifically. But if your schedule is chaotic, fixing your wake time reinforces every other habit on this list.

Start with these three. Add the others once these become automatic.

How much deep sleep do I need?

Most adults spend 10-20% of their total sleep in deep sleep, roughly 1-2 hours per night. There's no universal target since deep sleep naturally varies by age and individual.

Focus on total sleep quality rather than obsessing over exact deep sleep minutes. If you're waking up restored and alert, you're probably getting enough.

Why am I getting so little deep sleep?

Common culprits include caffeine consumed too late, alcohol, a bedroom that's too warm, inconsistent sleep schedules, and age (deep sleep naturally decreases as you get older).

Start with the basics in this guide before assuming something is medically wrong. Most deep sleep issues resolve with environmental and behavioral changes.

Can supplements help with deep sleep?

Magnesium L-threonate crosses the blood-brain barrier more effectively than other forms, which is why sleep researchers often recommend it specifically. Clinical studies show it can reduce anxiety and improve sleep latency. That said, the research is still limited, and individual results vary. For a complete breakdown of dosages and warnings, see the Huberman sleep cocktail guide.

Supplements are secondary to behavior. Fix temperature, caffeine, and light exposure first. Talk to a healthcare provider before starting any supplement regimen.

Do sleep trackers accurately measure deep sleep?

Consumer sleep trackers (Oura, Apple Watch, Fitbit) provide estimates, not clinical measurements. They use movement and heart rate as proxies for sleep stages, which works reasonably well for trends but isn't as accurate as polysomnography (the gold standard sleep study).

Use tracker data to spot patterns over time, not to obsess over nightly numbers. If your tracker shows 45 minutes one night and 90 the next, that variation is normal and partly reflects measurement limitations.

• Dr. Andrew Huberman, Huberman Lab Newsletter: "Improve Your Sleep" (https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter/improve-your-sleep)
• Dr. Matthew Walker, The Diary of a CEO Interview (https://youtube.com/watch?v=Us8n8VBQn_c)
• Doctor Mike, "Proven Sleep Tips" (https://youtube.com/watch?v=m2SVFx2mOEg)
• Sleep Foundation: "How to Get More Deep Sleep" (https://www.sleepfoundation.org/stages-of-sleep/how-to-get-more-deep-sleep)
• Cleveland Clinic: "Tips To Get More Deep Sleep" (https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-get-more-deep-sleep)
• Rise Science: "How to Get More Deep Sleep?" (https://www.risescience.com/blog/how-to-get-more-deep-sleep)