In order to make sure you're maximizing your Deep sleep, keep an eye on these things:

• Caffeine, taken at any time of day, can decrease the amount of Deep sleep you get at night. This could be true, even if you don't think that caffeine has an impact on your ability to fall asleep. Be ware of hidden sources of caffeine, which can show up in some candies, over-the-counter medications, herbal teas, and even in some boutique waters. If you're not sure, check or ask.

• Make sure you're exercising during the day. The science behind this is not conclusive, but there are some indications that getting a regular amount of physical activity during the day could ensure that you're not missing out on your Deep sleep.

• Excess light, noise, temperatures, and uncomfortable pajamas, sheets, etc, can all disrupt sleep in subtle ways. You may not recall waking up, but these things could be interfering with your Deep sleep.

• Body temperature may play a role in how much Deep sleep you get at night. This could be why getting enough exercise and controlling your environmental temperature could help with Deep sleep. As a rule of thumb, core body temperature drops when we fall asleep, while our extremities (fingers and toes) warm up. Exercise in the early evening may facilitate this transition and mittens and socks in bed (or a warm water bottle for your feet) could help warm up those extremities.

• Many sleep disorders can muck with Deep sleep. Restless legs syndrome and periodic leg movement disorder, sleep apnea, etc, can be very disruptive. If you think you may be at risk for any of these sleep disorders, visit a sleep specialist and get more information.  For those who suspect apnea, take our questionnaire here.

• Many medications and other medical issues have been shown to have an impact on our sleep quality. Just keep in mind that you should always discuss these issues with your doctor before making any changes. Getting a little bit less Deep sleep to make sure that a depression diagnosis stays in check may be a good trade off.

• Chronic pain may really get in the way of comfort and getting into a good bout of Deep sleep. For serious issues, talking to a doctor can go a long way, but for occasional discomfort and aspirin or ibuprofen may help.

In addition, some people on our forum have discussed some of the things that have helped them get more Deep sleep. Examples include:

• Exercising. Particularly, experimenting with different kinds and levels of exercise. A couple folks from Zeo have also discussed this on the blog.

• We've heard a lot of anecdotes about going to bed earlier than usual and getting more Deep sleep. This is at odds with what traditional sleep science knows (Deep sleep should depend on how long we've been awake, not the time of day), but may be worth trying out to see if it works for you.

• Using wool bed covers-this may better allow for easier body temperature regulation during the night, as wool "breathes" well.

• Though not mentioned directly in the forum, some comments suggest that perhaps being relaxed and not stressed out could help get higher quality sleep.

As a side note, if you're tracking you sleep with Zeo, an old headband could be misreading the amount of Deep sleep you get. Replacing the headband every three months or so will make sure that an aging headband, which may be less sensitive to Deep sleep, won't be giving poor readings.

Lastly, it's important to remember that our time in Deep Sleep naturally decreases as we age, and that getting too little Deep sleep may only be cause for concern if you feel tired during the day.