FACE-LIFT WITH JUST ENERGY!
SSleep is the new Vitamin C for glowing skin…Unravel the therapeutic benefits of beauty sleep, to achieve woke-up-like-this wonders for your face
Admit it or not, almost all of us are obsessed with cluttering our bathroom counters with our most recent beauty haul for a CTM skincare routine, to make our skin look great in the morning after a late night on Netflix with a tub of popcorn.
Turns out that these could be ditched for a power nap! Interestingly, research suggests that our body never stops working — especially when we’re shuteye. In fact, sleep is when some of the most important internal — and epidermal — recovery takes place! After all, it’s called beauty sleep for a reason.
While we obviously can’t fully abandon our skin care routine in favour of getting more Zzz’s, there are some easy ways to maximize your snooze time for a fountain of youth. Did you know that an average person sleeps for 1/3 of their lifetime, spending in approximately 26 years in bed! And while we may ignore its importance in our daily life, beauty sleep is not a whimsical fantasy, but a tried and tested method to help your skin heal itself from the free radicals it is exposed to through the sun during the day.
1. Sleep Time According to dermatologists, 7 to 9 hours of sleep is the norm. During deep sleep, your body recharges, re-energises and detoxifies through the lymphatic system. This is how cell energy gets recharged. As a skin rule, skin cells with recharged energy mean better and healthier skin. Good sleep restores the body’s functioning and helps in blood circulation that in turn helps to keep skin taut and young.
Can Combat: Face puffiness, dark circles around the eyes, skin pigmentation, wrinkles and premature signs of ageing
2. Face off We’ve of course established how beauty sleep is a sure-fire way to help your skin repair itself: blood flow increases, collagen is rebuilt, and the muscles in your face relax after a long day. But going to sleep with all the dirt and grime can also harm the appearance of your skin.
Washing your face squeaky clean each night is arguably more important than in the morning — and you don’t need to use fancy haul or harsh scrubs. A gentle cleanser to remove dirt, makeup, and extra oil will just about do the trick.
Can Combat: large pores, dry skin rashes, infections, inflammation, acne outbreaks
3. Splurge on Pillowcases It’s a given that your environment needs to be sterile and you regularly laundry your pillowcases, bedsheets and all other materials your skin comes directly in contact with. Silk and Satin are the best pillowcase materials giving your skin a smooth surface and protects it from the damage caused by friction. Sleeping on a rough cotton surface can irritate your skin and compress your face for long hours at a time, resulting in wrinkles. While most wrinkles are caused by the expressions we make while we’re awake, wrinkles and sleep creases on the face and chest can result from sleeping on our stomachs or sides.
It makes sense to sleep on your back — which also has a few other benefits — even if you have to train yourself over time. If you prefer to sleep on your side, get a skin-friendly pillow.
Can Combat: skin irritation, damage caused by friction, reduce the occurrence of crow’s-feet and other fine lines
4. Follow a Lights out Routine While we are sleeping, the deeper layers of our skin are working at night to repair damage from the environmental stressors they encounter all day long. The skin is also working hard to build new collagen, which keeps your skin firm and smooth. This is why you really want to choose your night products strategically to optimise your skin’s recovery during those restful, restorative hours! It’s ideal to use products with Vitamin C or Vitamin A, which can rev up collagen production, making the skin plump and glossy. As a plus, vitamin C’s antioxidant properties may help reverse any damage the sun has imposed on your skin during the day. While Vitamin A, on the other hand, can help minimize pore size, clear acne-prone skin, and firm dull, sagging skin. And what if you plan to sleep with your skin care on — or rather, you can pull a beauty overnighter with another beauty staple, the overnight mask. Before you head to bed, scoop a nickel-sized dollop, spread over your face, and then wake up and wash off to reveal brighter, smoother skin.
Can Combat: inflammation, treat acne, sunspots, target ageing and other concerns. And protect the skin from environmental damage.
5. Unfasten your crowning glory Keep your hair out of your face while you’re sleeping by wrapping it up in a silk scarf, or a loose ponytail, it’s a great way to keep your most recent salon blowout intact. Beauty sleep actually contributes to beautiful, fuller hair, as it is actually needed for proper protein synthesis of your hair and it can impact your hormones, which will also impact your hair’s growth and appearance. Hair follicles tend to gain nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from blood flow. Since blood flow decreases when we’re short on shut-eye, hair gets less nutrition, it weakens, and it has difficulty growing.
Can Combat: Hair loss, breakage, damage, and even lack of growth affected by sleep deprivation
6. Elevate your head Elevating your head has been proven to help with all issues that can disturb the quality of your sleep, and therefore your skin. In addition, it can help reduce bags and dark circles under your eyes by improving blood flow and preventing blood from pooling. Elevating your head while you sleep can be as simple as adding an extra pillow, adding a wedge to your mattress, or even propping the head of your bed by a few inches.
In addition, another mind soother is meditating for just 10 minutes before bed to reflect on your day and self. Guaranteed, this will help you relax and reduce stress. You will make peace with that ever-flowing busy mind troubling you at the back of your head and reduce tossing and turning uncomfortably in bed. Specially recommended for those facing insomnia.
Can Combat: snoring, acid reflux, and nasal drip, under eye bags and dark circles and insomnia
