During deep sleep, the brain predominantly produces delta waves, which are slow, high-amplitude brain waves.

Now without going deep into sleep stages, which is a separate article altogether, your deep sleep should be at least 15% to 25% of your total sleep time.

This is what young adults can achieve.

Once you cross the age of 25, your deep sleep starts to reduce and come in the range of 10-20%. 

It’s only during deep sleep, does your body repair tissues, builds bone and muscle, and strengthen the immune system.

Slow-wave activity is critical for consolidating memories like facts and knowledge.. Deep sleep clears brain waste via the glymphatic system.

I use a smart ring, and if you can see my sleep chart in the past week, you’ll notice that my deep sleep is good. On 10th December it was 19%.

On November 30th, my deep sleep was 22%. On December 1st, it increased to 24%. Despite staying up late on December 7th for a family function (I went to bed at 12:30 AM!), my body adapted.

Since I always wake up at 4:30 AM, my body compensated by spending 31% of the night in deep sleep. This shows how adaptive our bodies are, but we must create the right conditions for quality sleep

If you’re struggling to get enough deep sleep, check out my article on Night Routine for tips to ensure you optimize this critical part of your life. 

Theta waves are associated with a state of deep relaxation, typically achieved during meditation or light sleep.

This brainwave state is often where intuitive flashes and breakthroughs occur, fostering creative thinking and problem-solving by accessing subconscious ideas and insights.

Theta waves are also linked to heightened spirituality, inner peace, and mindfulness, making this state ideal for those seeking deeper connection and self-awareness.

Alpha wave signifies the flow state. Being in an alpha state enhances your ability to focus and stay present without stress or distraction.

It is associated with balanced mood and emotional resilience.

It promotes a receptive mind, ideal for absorbing new information or studying.

This is the state you should be most of the time when you are doing your deep work. Consider this state as a light mediate state where ideas are flowing, you are not just motivated but inspired.

This state is ideal for content creators like myself for whom most of the work starts with a script. Be it course creation, script for a youtube video, planning my company’s direction, or brainstorming new ideas.

However, achieving and maintaining this state requires minimizing distractions.

The only interruptions I allow are emergencies or when my son comes to visit in my home office.

To enter an alpha state: Meditation and Pranayama (breathing exercises) are highly effective.

Binaural beats tuned to 8–12 Hz can also help but should be used sparingly. Relying on external stimuli isn’t sustainable, learning

Techniques like Anapanna meditation or regular pranayama can train you to access this state naturally.

With practice, you can enter this state in just a few minutes of deep breathing.

Beta brain waves range from 12 to 30Hz. It is a big range. At the lower end of beta waves, you are attentive and sharp.

Logical and analytical thinking and decision making becomes effortless.

However, an overactive beta state is associated with a ‘fight-or-fight response, leading to nervousness and overthinking.

Excess beta wave activity before bed may interfere with the brain’s transition into slower, more restful brain waves.

Read my article on Night Routine  if you still haven’t.

In that article, I caution people against bright lights or late night meals post sunset.

It’s important to do certain rituals that help you slow down your brain activity that enables deep sleep at night, which in turn helps you awake fresh and rejuvenated the morning after. 

The flip side of delta are gamma waves.

As discussed, Delta is associated with healing, whereas gamma waves are the fastest brain waves (above 40 Hz), associated with extreme focus, heightened alertness, and peak performance.

Gamma waves are difficult to sustain for long periods but can be activated during moments of intense focus, such as a world-class athlete’s performance or a high-stakes meeting.

If you can extract one actionable tip from this article, it could be this: Increasing your deep sleep.

Make sure to watch the night routine article, and optimize your sleep.

Do this and within a week’s time I promise every aspect of your health will improve. 

Thank you!

Stay healthy, stay fabulous!