by Beth Lee Schlendorf
On August 1, I was blessed with the birth of my sweet baby boy, Joshua Ryder. Now, every morning, I am reminded of the importance of getting my “beauty sleep” when I see the black circles under my eyes from midnight feedings.
Women spend approximately $426 billion annually on different beauty products. Yet, there is one “product” that most of us refer to as a necessary human function … sleep. We know how we look when we don’t have a good night’s sleep … dark circles/bags under our eyes, sagging skin, break outs, and a lackluster smile. “Lack of sleep causes blood vessels to dilate, causing the look of dark circles,” says dermatologist Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco. When you go to sleep each night, your body goes into repair and rebuild mode on a number of your organs. Your skin is one of those organs. New skin cells are built to replace old ones while you sleep. It’s a constant restoring and repairing that takes place.
In order to get your facial makeover, your body requires a good seven to eight hours of sleep each night. I know what you’re thinking: “Maybe I should try 10 hours to look even better.” Scientists warn that studies show too little and too much sleep negatively impact your body, so stick with the seven-to-eight-hour rule. If you feel like you need more, then try taking a short nap during the afternoon.
Try these four tips to help you enjoy your beauty sleep:
- Start a sleep habit. Get into a routine of going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. This is one of the healthiest things you can do to help train your body to receive proper sleep each night.
- Avoid computer, tablet or cell phone use prior to going to sleep. The light emanated from technology tricks your brain into staying awake. Instead, try reading a book or taking a relaxing bath right before bed.
- Sleep on your back. If you end up on your stomach your face will press into your pillow and may create fine lines and creases when you arise in the morning.
- Use organic sheets and pillow cases. Many sheets have powerful dyes and chemicals that will negatively impact your skin. Switching to organic products will help remove those chemicals from a place that you spend one third of your life.
If you are focused on your diet and exercise, you should be even more concerned about your sleep. Insufficient sleep will have a greater impact on your life than any other activity. Rather, you should create a healthy routine that incorporates good exercise, a healthy diet and your beauty sleep.
Source: Beth Lee Schlendorf is the owner of Bliss Sleep Center. For more information about the center, visit BlissSleepCenter.com.
