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Very little deep sleep?

I've been tracking for a month now and I seem to get somewhere between 10-20 minutes of deep sleep a night, even when I sleep 8 hours. I have always been a very tired feeling person all the time and I'm wondering if this deep sleep tracking is (1) accurate, (2) a sign I should see a doctor? Also, I have little kids and, while they're not waking me up necessarily at night, I wonder if my vigilance about them is keeping me from resting fully? Anyone have experience with very little deep sleep? 

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44 REPLIES 44

I'll add that it's on the normal setting

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I have the same issue. I used to think I wasn't getting enough sleep, but I see from tracking that I AM getting sleep - just below the normal range for deep sleep. Therefore, I don't feel rested even if I meet my sleep goal. And I agree, I bet it is the vigilance that's keeping you from resting, at least partially. Although even before I had kids, I was always a super light sleeper and woke very easily, from childhood. Any suggestions on how to get more deep sleep, anyone? 

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This could be an inaccurate reading or something else. My fitbit alta did this when i first started doing it but I tried incorporating some supplements such as 3-5mg extended release melatonin on certain nights in addition to L-tryptophan and the readings went to normal. My guess is that I never really had REM sleep before that on a regular basis.

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I also don't get much deep sleep, usually just under the normal range. 

Typically deep sleep happens earlier at night, so if you are going to sleep too late or have insomnia before falling asleep, that could interrupt your deep sleep patterns.

REM sleep tends to happen for most people later in the evening/early morning. Sometimes my REM/deep sleep cycles get mixed up because I think my body is compensating for not getting the deep sleep early on, then alternating sleep cycles more than most people early in the morning.

With major insomnia earlier this year, I've tried taking tea, tinctures and other substances before bed. For me, I have allergies, so loratidine (antihistamine) actually was working the best.

Diphenhydramine, Valerian/skullcap, and other substances helped me sleep but didn't improve my deep sleep ratios (sometimes even left me groggier in the mornings.)

Typical advice would be: set an alarm to remind you when to go to bed, have some kind of relaxation technique/rituals before bed, drink tea or something relaxing (herbal tea like chamomile, mint), limit screen time, maybe read or something to quiet the mind. These have helped me fall asleep but haven't necessarily improved my deep sleep though. Sorry, that's pretty generic advice... good luck -_- zzz.

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Me too... I've always been aware that I am a fairly 'light' sleeper and sadly my fitbit has confirmed it - I get less than half the amount of deep sleep in the benchmark, which is, I think, why I always feel tired even though I sleep about seven and a half hours a night. I know it also doesn't help that I live in a noisy city and I have done all of the usual recommendations (warm bath, cool bedroom, chamomile tea, no alcohol, regular times, no evening screen time, turn off wifi, relaxation beforehand etc), to no avail. Short of moving somewhere that is absolutely silent at night (not gonna happen!), I'd love to hear any bright ideas! 

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I have narcolepsy (mostly symptom free starting in my 30’s) and I’m ok with close to an hour of deep sleep but feel horrible on night with 20 minutes. Using earplugs helps me a lot. I can’t really tell what causes less deep sleep. It sure messes me up though. 

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You have the same problem as I do!  I could always fall asleep given the chance yet I can sleep for 8 hours but still only get 20 minutes deep sleep!  My children have long since grown up @And left home so that isn’t the reason!

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My Fitbit tells me that most nights I only get about 20 minutes of deep sleep!!

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Have any of you tried supplementing magnesium before bed? I do epsom salts baths and use magnesium oil spray on my skin after the baths, also taking a dose of ZMA (magnesium & B vits) on nights when I really need sleep.  Seems to help me a lot. 

Allie
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I have the same problem.  I suffer terribly from insomnia - husband doesn't help with his laptop on til all hours and then waking me up on his toilet trips and once woken I can't get back to sleep, sometimes for 2 or 3 hours.  I often wake up shattered, even if my Fitbit says I've had 7+ hours sleep.  It always shows so little deep sleep that it doesn't even give it a percentage on the "benchmarking" tab.  I get little R.E.M sleep either, I'm either awake or in light sleep,  I used to sleep like a log for 9 hours a night, but since having children I wake at the slightest thing.  They are almost grown up now, and I suspect the problem may be stress related with work, and or peri menopause.  I wondered about the Dr but suspect they will either give me tablets and I will feel worse, or tell me to put up with it as sleep is sleep, deep or otherwise.  It's affecting my ability to function and I worry I'm not safe to drive I get so tired.  Help!!

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I had the same problem with my husband. He snores terribly and tosses around like a fish flopping in the sun. He has a c-pap machine but he only wears it for about 4 hours a night. Once I’m up, I just can’t go back to sleep. So here’s what I did, and it’s one of those things that people get weird about, but it works for us. We’ve been married for 27 years and happier than ever. Especially since I started sleeping in the guest room. Yes, we now sleep in separate beds. It’s done wonders. I didn’t realize how stressed I was  just anticipating how bad the night was going to be. I go to bed early, read, have soft music playing and just wind down in my own space. It’s really helped a lot and it’s something I carve out for myself and for my health. Oh, and by the way, now my husband doesn’t stress about waking me up! I didn’t realize he even gave it a second thought, but he’s also much more relaxed and sleeping better. I hope this helps! 

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Thank you for your response. Sadly there’s nowhere else in our house that I could sleep, because believe me, I would if I could!!!!

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@Libby_F If you can't sleep elsewhere then your husband needs to take his laptop elsewhere as the way he's upsetting your sleep is unfair.

Allie
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I agree. Unfortunately, he doesn't. 😞
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Fiona Smith: same here, 20 mins or so deep sleep most every night per fitbit. 64. no kids around. never feel rested. Don't drink. No caffine. Set bedtime. Relax. Have tried white noise, hypnosis videos and the like.

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Oh God! That's exactly my problem too! I went to the Dr.  Got sleeping pills and didn't work at all! Went to a sleep specialist and he said "well.. Many people have your problem... There is no solution" 😭😭😭

I wanna try to go to the sleep center in Italy: it's said to be one of the best in the world ... I we'll see 😔 I'm feeling hopeless 

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I hear ya! I am so tired of being tired. Good luck with Italy sleep study. 


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Best decision we ever made. Separate rooms. It felt awkward at first but now we also sleep much better.

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Hi there. We’re you ever able to resolve your sleep issue. I experienced similar. It’s such a harsh experience to have.

 

Tash

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