I don’t know about you, but I find getting the right amount of sleep each night quite a CHALLENGE.
And if I haven’t slept well – or enough – it REALLY shows up on my skin and in my mood.
Your skin is like the window to what’s going on inside your body, so if you’re not sleeping properly, you may have noticed a change in your complexion – perhaps dryness, dullness and breakouts?
I hope that everything that I have to share with you in this blog is going to not only help you FEEL more rested, but LOOK more rested too!
We’re ALL unique, with different needs and so the amount of sleep each person should have varies greatly.
Research suggests however that an average of around 7 to 8 hours is needed for our complexions to reap the rewards, and for our brain and body to function at its very BEST.
Sleeping is actually the only opportunity our body has to renew and repair itself, and gives our body a well-deserved rest from all the thoughts and movement throughout the day.
Sleep allows our brain to process information received through the day – hence why we sometimes have some crazy dreams! Sleep also helps our skin cells regenerate and repair themselves.
By trying to get 7 to 8 of un-broken hours sleep this enables us to follow through a process called ‘the sleep-wake cycle’.
This ‘Sleep-wake cycle’ consisting of two important sleep parts:
During this phase, our body relaxes, blood pressure falls, and breathing becomes deeper and more regular.
Because our brain responds less to things happening outside the body, it makes it more difficult to wake up.
Hormones are released that stimulate the body’s repair processes, removing toxins and growing new cells.
DEEP sleep gives your body time to recover physically.
This phase occurs in short bursts throughout the night, when blood pressure rises, heart rate increases and our body temperature goes up, with very little movement.
The brain dreams and grows and sorts all the memories from the previous day into experiences, clearing out any irrelevant information it no longer needs.
REM Sleep gives your brain time to recover mentally.
As we age, our Deep Sleep and REM Sleep decreases.
There are many reasons why this may happen. Sleep disturbances can occur due to children needing our attention in the middle of the night, stressful lives keeping us awake and an increase in medical problems as we age, making falling asleep more difficult.
All of this means that our body gets LESS chance to repair itself, potentially leading to an accelerated ageing process.
Skin cells regenerate faster at night than during the day, with cell regeneration peaking at around 2AM! This regeneration helps our skin make new collagen (the protein that keeps skin plump, bouncy and elastic).
So when we’ve missed out on a lot of sleep over a long period, our skin doesn’t have time for rejuvenating and it will start to look and feel less bouncy, toned and lifted because Collagen will be lacking.
To make matters worse, as we age our bodies stop producing as much Collagen which is why our skin starts to sag and wrinkle as skin gradually looses its elasticity and tone. So, this is why topping up on sleep becomes more and more important the older we get.
Sleep is like a miracle food for your brain, body, and SKIN.
Although there’s NO substitute for real sleep, there are things we can do to help our skin to look more rested and build up lost collagen.
1. Drink Your Skin Younger With The Rejuvenated Collagen Shots
These Rejuvenated Collagen Shots have made the BIGGEST impact on my skin since I started taking them a couple of years ago.
By drinking this, you can replace lost collagen internally and keep collagen levels high, slowing the ageing process down and keeping skin looking as good as it can at the age you are today!
2. Treat Your Face To A Gingerlily Beauty Pillow Case
We spend up to a third of our life sleeping (!), so it’s SUPER important that what you sleep ON is a big part of your skin care routine!
Gingerlily has made a ‘Beauty Pillow Case‘ that’s 100% silk, meaning the silk help to replenish your skin cells overnight (silk contains natural proteins and amino acids that help promote the production of collagen and elastin in your skin).
Sleeping on a silk pillowcase also helps regulate your body temperature, meaning that you could find yourself having less hot flushes. And it’s not just your skin that loves silk; it’s your HAIR too!
Silk creates less friction leaving you with reduced bed-head and smoother looking hair in the mornings!
To get the MOST out of the sleep that you do get, you need to make sure your bedroom has the right conditions.
That means a dark, quiet and cool bedroom – if you live in a hotter climate, you may want to sleep with the bedroom window slightly open, or to block out the light, perhaps invest in a black out blind or even an eye mask!
One of the best habits to get into is not having any external stimuli (like televisions, mobile phones, laptops and tablets) at least 30minutes before going to bed each night to help prepare the body naturally for sleep.
Many of us (myself included!) sleep with our mobile phones next to us, but mobile phones emit a light that can prevent melatonin.
Melatonin is a hormone made by a small gland in the brain called the pineal gland, which helps control your sleep and wake cycles.
For less disturbance, ensure your mobile is kept face down; or if your phone has the feature, select the ‘night shift’ mode as in the image above. If your phone doesn’t have the feature, then ensure it is placed facing down, so the light does not disturb your sleep. Also, change the light to YELLOW as a bright ‘blue light’ emitted from screens can actually prevent the melatonin production from starting which energises your system and keeps you up during the night!
To really benefit from a restful sleep, you may need to assist your body’s natural shut-down mode with relaxation techniques such as Yoga, meditation or deep breathing.
These methods can all reduce stress levels, promoting a better quality of sleep. If you need a little inspiration take a look on YouTube for some meditation videos, these are my quick cheat to a more relaxed state of mind!
A relaxing breathing technique called the ‘4-7-8’ works like magic for those of us that find falling asleep a challenge!
It’s derived from a Yoga breathing exercise and not only helps sleep but can also lower your heart rate, blood pressure, improve digestion and aid in reducing anxiety levels when practised over time.
Here’s A Quick Breakdown Of How To Do It In Just THREE Easy Steps:
I hope my tips help you have a restful sleep and leave you looking (and feeling) rested, and ready to take on the day ahead!
Sleep tight my friends!
Love,
Makeup Artist | Stylist | Founder of Beautyandtheboutique.com