About Us

We're the creators of BetterSleep, a leading wellness app helping over 60 million people around the globe sleep better.

We’re on a mission to help people around the world live a happier, healthier life, through expert-led meditations, sleep stories, brainwaves and more.

Share article
What Are Delta Waves?
sleep

What Are Delta Waves?

by BetterSleep
5 min read
Share article

When you sleep, your brain cycles through several stages, from light to deeper sleep and back again; during each stage, your brain also shifts through different frequencies of electrical activity, known as brain waves. Delta waves are characteristic of deep sleep, and it might be possible to harness them to improve sleep.

About Brain Waves

The stages of sleep include non-REM and REM (rapid eye movement). Non-REM sleep is divided into three substages:

  • During N1, you’re just falling asleep as your body relaxes and breathing slows. Your brain produces theta waves between 4 and 7 Hertz (Hz).
  • N2 is a light sleep characterized by short bursts of higher frequency brain waves but a transition to deep sleep delta waves.
  • During N3, deep sleep, your brain waves shift to delta. These are the lowest-frequency brain waves at just 1 to 3 Hz.

From N3, you transition to REM sleep, and the brain becomes more active. Here your brain activity is similar to wakefulness.

The Importance of Delta Wave Sleep

During a normal night of sleep, you spend most of your time in N2. Even though it accounts for much less time, deep, delta sleep is essential for proper rest and brain functioning. Sleep scientists believe this is when your brain cleans itself of waste.

Delta sleep might also be when you consolidate memories and learning. It could be important for improving heart health, a functioning immune system, tissue repair, and metabolism. During deep sleep, the body releases human growth hormone, which explains some of the benefits of this sleep stage.

Using Delta Waves for Deep Healing Sleep

Poor quality sleep can lead to inadequate delta sleep. If your sleep gets disrupted throughout the night, you might not get through enough cycles or be jolted out of deep sleep too often. Understanding what delta waves do, it might be possible to use them to get more high-quality, deep sleep.

One way to do this is with binaural beats and delta wave music. Binaural beats are when two different frequencies combine so that the brain perceives just one beat or frequency. You can use sounds alone or with music that creates a beat to match any type of brain wave, including delta.

Studies of binaural beats have found that they reduce anxiety in specific situations, such as before surgery. In one study, delta frequencies in binaural beats had the greatest effect on anxiety. You can use delta beats whenever you feel particularly stressed or anxious and want to sleep more deeply.

There are a few ways to use binaural beats. You can listen to them, but you can also mix the beats with music or other sounds you find relaxing and conducive to sleep. Add delta beats to your favorite meditation that prepares you for bed to enhance the onset of deep sleep. Or listen to the sound mix as you drift off to sleep.

Share article

Related posts

An Extra Hour of Sleep: Create a Morning Routine That Sticks
sleep

An Extra Hour of Sleep: Create a Morning Routine That Sticks

by BetterSleep
5 min read
Sleep Paralysis Explained
sleep

Sleep Paralysis Explained

by BetterSleep
10 min read
Sleep Hypnosis Apps: A Guide to Self-Hypnosis
sleep

Sleep Hypnosis Apps: A Guide to Self-Hypnosis

by BetterSleep
7 min read
Brown Noise
sleep / wellness

Brown Noise

by BetterSleep
4 min read
The Importance of Sleep
sleep / wellness

The Importance of Sleep

by BetterSleep
8 min read
Best Teas for Sleep
sleep / wellness

Best Teas for Sleep

by BetterSleep
10 min read
Coffee Naps: What Are They and Do They Work?
sleep / wellness

Coffee Naps: What Are They and Do They Work?

by BetterSleep
5 min read
Reading Before Bed: What You Should Know
sleep

Reading Before Bed: What You Should Know

by BetterSleep
7 min read
Can BetterSleep Help with Snoring?
sleep / news

Can BetterSleep Help with Snoring?

by BetterSleep
8 min read
Remembering Dreams: Why You Don't
sleep

Remembering Dreams: Why You Don't

by BetterSleep
7 min read

Top 10 posts

Generative Music by Alexey Seliverstov Exclusively on BetterSleep
news

Generative Music by Alexey Seliverstov Exclusively on BetterSleep

by BetterSleep
5 min read
Celebrate World Sleep Day with BetterSleep
sleep

Celebrate World Sleep Day with BetterSleep

by BetterSleep
2min
From Beats to Bliss: Grammy-Nominated Artist Timbaland Teams Up with BetterSleep to Introduce Meditation Music
news

From Beats to Bliss: Grammy-Nominated Artist Timbaland Teams Up with BetterSleep to Introduce Meditation Music

by BetterSleep
6 min read
How to Use the BetterSleep Sound Mixer to Improve Sleep
wellness / sleep

How to Use the BetterSleep Sound Mixer to Improve Sleep

by BetterSleep
5min
Prepare for Daylight Saving Time 2025 with BetterSleep
wellness

Prepare for Daylight Saving Time 2025 with BetterSleep

by BetterSleep
5 min read
Biphasic Sleep: Is Sleeping in Two Parts Better for You?
sleep

Biphasic Sleep: Is Sleeping in Two Parts Better for You?

by BetterSleep
6 min read
What Are the Benefits of Sleep Coaching?
wellness

What Are the Benefits of Sleep Coaching?

by BetterSleep
5 min read
Quiet the Ringing: How BetterSleep Helps with Tinnitus
news

Quiet the Ringing: How BetterSleep Helps with Tinnitus

by BetterSleep
8 min read
Holiday Escapes: Drift Away with Travel-Themed Bedtime Stories
news

Holiday Escapes: Drift Away with Travel-Themed Bedtime Stories

by BetterSleep
New Year’s Starter Kit: How to Achieve Your 2025 Goals with Hypnosis
wellness

New Year’s Starter Kit: How to Achieve Your 2025 Goals with Hypnosis

by BetterSleep
5 min read