Advice and Tips
Are You Getting Enough Sleep?
Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ve got to get my beauty sleep” and wondered what they meant? How could you possibly get more beautiful just from sleeping? Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it?
Getting enough beauty sleep is not just a figure of speech. When we get good, proper sleep, our bodies become fully relaxed and our mind shuts down as our subconscious takes over and delves into dream state.
On the outside we seem like we are done for the day, but this is the time that our bodies really get to work.
Good sleep is
essential for our bodies to repair, rebuild and heal. There is an increase in
the production of cells and a surge in growth hormone secretion. Our cells
regenerate faster, especially our skin cells, and there is a reduction in the
breakdown of proteins, the building blocks for cell growth.
This allows our bodies to repair against damage of such factors like stress and ultraviolet rays which as we know, causes us to age and creates wrinkles. This is the reason why dermatologists recommend the use of active night creams while we sleep, not just an excuse to plug new products.
Certain antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E, that have a susceptibility to sunlight, will stay on your skin longer and you will therefore get the most benefit from them at night when you sleep.
During sleep, our bodies perspire more than when we are awake and doing nothing. This perspiration also acts like a natural skin treatment giving your skin more moisture as it smooths out wrinkles. The cheapest beauty regime in the world.
When we go into this deep sleep mode, our bodies go into a fast state. To protect against this fast, our increase in the growth hormone promotes the use of the body’s fat reserves, essentially helping us to also lose weight. If this is the case, then not getting enough proper sleep might be making you fat?
But how do we know if we’re getting enough quality sleep to have this beautifying effect? Experts say that we should have at least 8 hours of sleep at night. 8-10 is a good amount of time for our bodies to fully renew and rejuvenate. Anything more or less will not have the same effect. They also say that the sleep you get before midnight is the most restful.
So now we know how beneficial it is to get good quality sleep and what beauty sleep really means. Sleep doesn’t just help us relax and unwind, to quiet the mind and give us dreams, but good quality sleep also helps our bodies to protect us against added stresses from our external environment, to heal faster, regenerate better after a workout, to look younger and slow down the aging process and it can even help in our goals for keeping our weight in check.
It really is something to think about before you go to bed next.
 | Insomnia affects millions of people every year and we all know that it can have a detrimental impact on our health. But what are the answers for those of us who struggle to achieve regular good night’s sleep? Models Direct have come up with some great tips on how to improve your sleeping habits. Establish a good routine A good routine is valuable to humans from very early in life and this is as true for adults as it is for babies, so try to establish a good bedtime routine. We would suggest that you eat your last main meal no later than 6pm and that, couple of hours before you wish to sleep, you should try a combination of calming pastimes. |
Television and chatting on the phone can both interfere with relaxation, so when it gets near your chosen bedtime consider playing a board game, reading or writing a journal instead. Gentle games such as Scrabble are far less stimulating than watching TV and will help you to engage positively with your family or housemates. Journals can give you a good outlet for any feelings that you need to express which may have accumulated during the day and they also help when trying to discover patterns or links to restless nights.
Bathing
Bathing is a fantastic way to relax, particularly with your favourite scented bath oil or foam. You could also try some Dead Sea or Epsom salts or some lavender or rose essential oils - which are renowned for their calming properties.
If you are lucky enough to have a partner who is willing to give you an occasional massage then take full advantage, as this is a wonderful way to relax. However, you can also learn self-massage techniques and even simple things like rubbing your scalp with circular motions can help ease headaches and stress – so give it a try.
Spending approximately one third of our lives asleep tells us right away how important hitting the sheets really is. Ample rest gives our bodies and minds the opportunity to focus on any necessary repair. Eight hours is recommended, and I know I thrive with nothing short of this. Our bodies should be waking on a natural rhythm without alarm clocks vibrating our veins. I know many people shave down this underestimated routine in order to squeeze in those tasks that run off the pages of our ever-evolving and revolving to-do lists. There are also those who may be ready to start singing Zzz's from their beds but their front-loaded freight train of thoughts won't slow down at the Sleep Station.
Here you have some surefire suggestions to slow your pace down before bed and hopefully amount to a blissful beauty sleep:
Cut caffeine. Bold roasts and black teas provide a pleasurable perk in the AM, however backing off the booster after noon can help you reach ready-to-restore levels by the evening. Cutting out caffeine all together could further improve your sleep quality, but if that's not an option right now, hey every little bit counts. Caffeine is a diuretic which dehydrates, so make sure you are getting enough water even when you are enjoying your fav’ breakfast bevy. |  |
 | Take a warm bath before bed, as it has effects on your brain's production of the hormone melatonin which promotes sleepiness |
Make Magnesium a must. The compound cultivates calmness and many plants are a great source. So get your servings of leafy greens, nuts and beans in. Whole unprocessed food is the obvious best source of any nutrient, although we don't always get enough here. |  |
 | Key to quieting mental chatter. Daily duties + social schedules can take us through a whirlwind of emotions and self-judgments’. This stuff is sick. An underrated task is identifying our spiraling thoughts and turning work, parent, or party-mode off. It is crucial to achieve peace of mind in order to get a good night's rest. Meditation and mindfulness practiced in certain forms of yoga are a great way to become aware of toxic-talk. Also, you can learn how to loosen up through literature. |
Ying Yoga. Most variations of a yoga practice can prep you for bed, save the more demanding athletic and power flow classes. Yin yoga is a restorative practice which focuses on stretching and opening deep connective tissues (i.e. ligaments and bones). You tend to leave this practice in a zen-like state that is a perfect prelude for the pillow. |  |
Lastly, a few hours before bed avoid adrenaline-inducing activity (i.e. working out), keep lights low, meals light, and take a tech time-out (including TV, phones, laptops).
Sweet dreams.
