Slow-wave sleep is a deep stage of non-rapid eye movement sleep characterized by prominent slow, high-amplitude activity in an electroencephalography recording. It is a physiological classification based on measured brain activity and other sleep criteria, rather than simply an unusually motionless posture. In current human staging it broadly corresponds to N3. [ref]
What happens during sleep? by NICHD. Non-REM sleep, stage 3: deepest sleep and slow heartbeat and breathing
Sleep-stage identification can guide interventions. In a human experiment, an odour associated with earlier learning was presented again during slow-wave sleep; subsequent declarative-memory performance was compared with control conditions. [ref]
Odor cues during slow-wave sleep prompt declarative memory consolidation by Björn Rasch and others. 2007, abstract: odour re-exposure during sleep and later retention
This links a defined physiological state to an experimentally timed cue; it does not establish that every kind of memory depends exclusively on that one stage. Articles by others on the same topic
Slow-wave sleep (SWS), also known as deep sleep or delta sleep, is a crucial stage of the sleep cycle characterized by slow brain waves, reduced heart rate, and decreased muscle activity. It occurs primarily during the first half of the night and is essential for various physiological functions. Key features of slow-wave sleep include: 1. **Brain Waves**: During SWS, the brain exhibits delta waves, which are high-amplitude, low-frequency waves.