Deep sleep by age

What do you want to compare?
Vively member data
Where does your deep sleep sit?

Pick your sex and age group, then type your average nightly deep sleep in minutes from your sleep app.

See the numbers as a table
Group (min)Members25thMedian75th
Women 18 to 2972648296
Women 30 to 39270617586
Women 40 to 49387527083
Women 50 to 59311486277
Women 60 to 69121425575
Men 30 to 39175638092
Men 40 to 49233537085
Men 50 to 59157456680
Men 60 to 6966385273

Wearable sleep stages, member averages October 2025 to October 2026, members with 14 or more nights. Devices estimate sleep stages differently. How we got these numbers.

How sleep changes with age

Vively member data
Deep sleep by age

Deep sleep falls with age. The shaded band is the middle 50% of members, the line is the median.

See the numbers as a table
Group (min)Members25thMedian75th
Women 18 to 2972648296
Women 30 to 39270617586
Women 40 to 49387527083
Women 50 to 59311486277
Women 60 to 69121425575
Men 30 to 39175638092
Men 40 to 49233537085
Men 50 to 59157456680
Men 60 to 6966385273

Wearable sleep stages, member averages October 2025 to October 2026, members with 14 or more nights. Devices estimate sleep stages differently. How we got these numbers.

How we got these numbers

These figures come from Vively members who connected a wearable to the Vively app and wore it on at least 14 nights between October 2025 and October 2026: 1,937 for total sleep and 1,792 for sleep stages, because not every device reports stages. Time asleep is time in bed minus time awake, as the device estimates it. We took each member’s average, then worked out percentiles across members in each sex and age group. Every group shown has 50 or more members, so there is not enough data yet for men aged 18 to 29. The full method is on how we get our numbers.

What moves deep sleep

  • Age. In a meta-analysis of sleep studies, the share of slow-wave (deep) sleep fell with age, and so did total sleep time in adults. Our members show the same pattern.
  • How long you sleep. A joint consensus statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society says adults should sleep 7 or more hours a night on a regular basis.
  • Habits. Regular sleep times, light, caffeine and exercise timing all affect sleep. Our sleep hygiene guide covers them.

What these numbers can’t tell you

  • Wearables estimate sleep stages. Studies that compare consumer devices with overnight sleep studies find they do better at telling sleep from wake than at scoring the stages, and brands differ. Treat your own trend as more useful than one night.
  • There is no single “right” amount of deep sleep to aim for. A member median is not a target.
  • Vively members chose to connect a wearable to the app, so they are not a cross-section of Australia. Treat these numbers as a comparison, not a target.
  • Sleep tracking cannot tell you about your blood sugar, cholesterol, iron or inflammation. That takes a blood test.

Talk to your GP if you often struggle to sleep, snore loudly, stop breathing in your sleep, or feel exhausted during the day.

Your watch shows how fit you are. Your blood shows what is underneath.

The Baseline Health Check measures 70+ blood markers, and you see them in the Vively app next to your wearable data.

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Questions people ask

How much deep sleep do I need by age?

There is no official target. Among Vively members aged 40 to 49 the median is 70 minutes for both women and men, and medians are 75 to 80 minutes in the 30s and 52 to 55 in the 60s. Deep sleep naturally declines with age.

How accurate is my watch at measuring deep sleep?

Consumer wearables estimate sleep stages from movement and heart rate. Studies that compare them with overnight sleep studies find they are better at telling sleep from wake than at scoring the stages.

How many hours of sleep do adults need?

A joint consensus statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommends 7 or more hours a night for adults. Among Vively members aged 40 to 49, the median is 7.5 hours for women and 7.0 for men.

Does deep sleep decrease with age?

Yes. In a meta-analysis of sleep studies, the share of slow-wave sleep fell with age in adults, and our members show the same pattern.

Is it bad if I get less deep sleep than average?

Not necessarily. Individual sleep varies a lot, and wearable stage estimates are rough. Look at your own trend and how you feel and function in the day, and talk to your GP if you are worried.

More tools

Sources

  • Ohayon MM, et al. Meta-analysis of quantitative sleep parameters from childhood to old age in healthy individuals. Sleep. 2004;27(7):1255-1273.
  • Watson NF, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Sleep. 2015;38(6):843-844.
  • Chinoy ED, et al. Performance of seven consumer sleep-tracking devices compared with polysomnography. Sleep. 2021;44(5):zsaa291.
  • Vively member data, October 2025 to October 2026. Methods.