Home LivingWellnessSleepDon’t delay your bedtime for this important sleep reason, says doctorYou’re missing out on this crucial stage of sleep if you delay your bedtimeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Home LivingWellnessSleepDon’t delay your bedtime for this important sleep reason, says doctorYou’re missing out on this crucial stage of sleep if you delay your bedtimeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

You’re missing out on this crucial stage of sleep if you delay your bedtime

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Cottonbro Studio / Pexels)

Woman feeling tired & not able to sleep

(Image credit: Cottonbro Studio / Pexels)

Do you struggle to fall asleep at night? Or maybe you can’t resist staying up to watch one more episode of your favourite TV show. But while you might think it’s not a big deal to delay your bedtime, you could actually be missing out on a very crucial phase of sleep.

The phase Dr Raj is referring to is slow wave sleep. But what is it and why does it matter? Keep reading to find out.

What is slow wave sleep?

(Image credit: Dr Raj / TikTok)

A snippet of a TikTok video from Dr Raj

(Image credit: Dr Raj / TikTok)

But why? Dr Raj explains that “as the night goes on, the ratio of NREM to REM sleep changes and you get progressively less NREM and more REM sleep. If you cut short your bedtime, you cut the short time you spend in slow wave sleep and so you get less of that growth hormone.”

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This hormone is particularly important for children and teenagers to continue growing but as you get older, a lack of this growth hormone is not only a sign of aging but it canaffect your body fat, aerobic capacity, and muscle and brain mass. As stated in his video, Dr Raj says that this is why it’s important to go to bed at a similar time every day, so you get every bit of that growth hormone.

In general, having a set bedtime routine is a sign of goodsleep hygiene, so you should be aiming to do this anyway, to ensure you have the best night’s sleep and wake up the next day feeling refreshed and motivated.

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