Jun 20, 2025
Struggling with Deep Sleep? Here's What You Might Be Missing
From overlooked habits to new science, a smarter guide to boosting deep, restorative sleep.
Sleep
Written by
Mito Team
You’ve cut caffeine. You wear an eye mask. Maybe you even tried a weighted blanket and magnesium before bed. Still waking up tired? You’re not the only one. Deep sleep, the stage that repairs your body and sharpens your brain, can be hard to reach, even when you follow every tip on the internet.
To sleep more deeply and wake up refreshed, you need a plan built on real science, not guesswork.
Why Deep Sleep and REM Sleep Matter So Much
During NREM Stage 3—also known as deep sleep, your body gets to work rebuilding tissue, strengthening the immune system, and restoring energy. This is when growth hormone is released, inflammation calms down, and your brain starts clearing out waste.
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep comes later in the night and supports learning, memory, and emotional balance. These two stages work together to give you the best sleep possible. Adults typically need about 1.5 to 2 hours of deep sleep throughout the night, along with 90 minutes of REM sleep. Anything less, and you may wake up feeling like you didn’t sleep at all.
Not getting enough deep sleep affects more than how you feel the next day. Over time, it raises the risk of weight gain, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and inflammation. It can also affect hormone balance, immune strength, and brain health—all while leaving you tired and foggy in the morning.
What’s Holding Back Your Deep Sleep?
1. Your Internal Clock May Be Off
Your brain’s sleep-wake cycle depends on light cues. Morning sunlight helps set your internal clock and tells your body when to start making melatonin at night. But when you scroll your phone in bed or sit under bright lights late at night, this system gets confused. Sleep onset is delayed, and deep sleep suffers.
2. Your Sleep Schedule Is All Over the Place
Going to bed and waking up at random times throws off your body’s natural rhythm, even if you’re in bed for eight hours. Sleep quality takes a hit when your body can’t predict when it’s supposed to wind down.
3. Your Gut Might Be Involved
Your gut helps produce serotonin and melatonin, two key sleep-supporting compounds. When you have a poor diet or an imbalanced gut microbiome, it interferes with this process. You may sleep, but it won’t be the deep, restoring kind.
4. You Go to Bed with High Cortisol
Cortisol is your body’s stress hormone, and it’s meant to be low at night. But if you’re feeling wired, overthinking, or scrolling TikTok in bed, your cortisol levels could be keeping you from getting the best sleep your body needs.
5. Your Environment Is Quietly Working Against You
Even low levels of light or noise can pull your brain out of slow-wave sleep without fully waking you. Over time, these disruptions build up, leaving you groggy and unrested.
How to Get More Deep Sleep Naturally
If you’ve already tried melatonin or magnesium without much success, it’s time to go beyond supplements. Here's what the science supports:
Nail the Basics
A consistent sleep schedule is one of the most effective ways to regulate your circadian rhythm. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Your bedroom environment matters too. Keep it cool, dark, and quiet to help your body get better sleep.
Limit caffeine after 2 PM and avoid alcohol within three to four hours of bedtime to avoid disrupting deep sleep and REM sleep stages.
Eat for Better Sleep
What you eat affects how well you sleep. A small snack before bed that combines protein and complex carbs, like oatmeal with banana or whole grain toast with peanut butter, can support melatonin production.
Nutrients like magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins help you sleep more deeply and are found in foods like leafy greens, yogurt, nuts, and avocados. Tart cherry juice and pistachios are natural sources of melatonin that may support sound sleep.
Time Your Workouts Wisely
Regular physical activity improves sleep quality, but timing matters. Exercise during the day or early evening can help you fall asleep faster and get more deep sleep. Avoid high-intensity workouts right before bed, which may increase alertness. Bonus: exercising outdoors helps regulate your body clock.
Calm the Mind and Body
Your brain needs to slow down before your body can fully rest. Relaxation strategies like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or a warm shower can ease the transition into sleep. Set a digital curfew and choose a calming routine, such as reading or journaling, to help wind down.
For those who struggle with racing thoughts, guided meditations, or sleep apps can offer tips for better sleep and reduce stress that blocks rest.
When to Dig Deeper: Medical and Hormonal Factors
If you’ve tried every tip for a better sleep and you still wake up tired, it may be time to test what’s going on under the surface. Hormones, nutrient deficiencies, or inflammatory signals can all interfere with your ability to get more deep sleep.
Low levels of melatonin, magnesium, vitamin D, or testosterone may reduce sleep quality. Elevated cortisol levels, poor glucose control, or thyroid issues can disrupt your sleep, shifting you from deep sleep to light, fragmented sleep.
Sleep disorders like sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome may wake you up repeatedly, even if you’re not aware it’s happening.
At Mito Health, we run advanced bloodwork to look at your hormones, nutrients, and inflammation markers. Then we connect the dots with your symptoms and goals, so you get clear answers and a plan that works with your body.
Deep Sleep Is an Investment in Long-Term Health
A full night of deep sleep doesn’t happen by chance. It happens when your body is set up to do what it’s built to do. When your hormones are balanced, your nutrients are replenished, and your brain feels safe to power down, your body can finally rest. You wake up clear, calm, and energized, not dragging yourself through the day.
Want to stop feeling tired in the morning? Mito Health helps you uncover what’s standing in the way of your best sleep. With personalized blood testing and expert support, we help you sleep better for the long haul.