“Deep Sleep”: A Comparative Approach to Defining Meaningful Rest

A modern definition of “deep sleep” is elusive despite being ubiquitously appreciated as an important physiological state supporting health and homeostasis. In modern times, human deep sleep is identified by specific bioelectric signatures in the electroencephalogram (EEG) emerging somewhere between periods of wakefulness. However, deep sleep has been used to describe states of quiescence well before the first electrical brain recordings in the late 1800s, highlighting its own evolution in both lay and medical literature. Furthermore, EEG states are not only ill-defined in most mammals outside of humans and laboratory rodents, but non-existent in some invertebrates. Given that all organisms rest and do so with seemingly well-defined utility, it remains a challenge linguistically, scientifically, and comparatively define what “deep sleep” means—or what it should—in a research context. Here, I explore standard definitions of deep sleep from a modern, comparative perspective, and discuss potential problems of using a strict and narrow definition of such a fleeting concept that has historically undergone significant updates. Finally, I suggest a path towards resolving inconsistencies around the meaning of “deep sleep” and consider whether it is truly reflected by any one measure.