Our guest today is Sheila Olson who writes about how to get our beauty sleep. It’s a perfect subject for me. My sleeping habits definitely don’t fall into the beauty sleep category. I need all the help I can get. Waking at three each morning is not a way to erase my aging dark circles and wrinkles. Here’s Sheila.
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3 Tips for Getting Your Best Beauty Rest
by Sheila Olson
We’ve all heard that we need to get our beauty rest, but do we really take this seriously? According to Healthy Magazine, not getting enough sleep can make you appear older by causing wrinkles and under-eye bags to develop on your face. If you get a good night’s rest, your skin will be healthier because deep sleep allows you to create new skin cells. If your skin is constantly dry and dull, it might be because you’re skimping on your beauty rest. You should be shooting for around eight hours of quality sleep per night. Courtesy of Madeline Sharples, author of Leaving the Hall Light On and Papa’s Shoes, here are some tips for getting your best beauty rest:
Stay Hydrated
According to the Sleep Foundation, being dehydrated can create several barriers for someone trying to sleep. Also, if you don’t drink enough fluids throughout the day, you could wake up with dry skin. Not only will being hydrated make it easier for you to get enough rest, but it will also make you look younger, make your teeth healthier, and give your face a natural glow.
Duxiana recommends drinking water as soon as you wake up and right before you go to bed. You should also drink water during meals. This will make it easier to remember to hydrate, and it gives you the added benefit of aiding digestion and nutrient absorption. If you drink any caffeinated drinks, like coffee or tea, you should drink them earlier in the day. Experts suggest avoiding caffeinated drinks for at least six hours before bedtime.
Take Advantage of Technology
When you think of a good night’s rest, technology is probably the last thing on your mind, but tech could be just what you need to get your eight hours of beauty rest in. For example, Cove, a wearable device, uses patented vibrations to help improve your sleep and relieve stress. The device can be worn before bed or throughout the day, so you don’t need to worry about wearing it while you’re sleeping.
If snoring prevents you from getting the sleep you need, the Smart Nora can help. This is a device that is inserted into your pillow. It can detect snoring and will adjust your pillow accordingly to stop the snore. The movement is gentle, so it doesn’t wake you.
Another solution for getting better sleep is investing in quality speakers to play calming music on. The right music can lower your heart rate and reduce blood pressure, relieving anxiety while simultaneously making it easier for you to fall asleep.
Exercise
If you find yourself lying awake at night, this might be because you haven’t been active enough during the day. Studies show that exercising regularly can naturally improve your sleep cycle and help you get better sleep. Exercise relieves stress and anxiety by boosting your body’s endorphins. Because of this, regular exercise makes it easier to relax at night. Many people have trouble falling asleep because they can’t stop worrying about things that happened during their day or things that might happen the following day. This anxiety will be soothed a little by adding some physical activity to your routine.
Exercise also tires your body out, which will make you crave sleep. It might be fun to spend your day as a couch potato, but this can wreak havoc on your sleep cycle. Start slow when adding new exercises to your daily routine. If you take on too much at once, you will find it hard to continue. You can exercise before bed, too, but make sure you don’t do any exercises that will get your heart rate up as this could make it harder to fall asleep.
Getting enough sleep at night can help you look and feel more beautiful. You’ll find that you have more energy to complete tasks throughout the day, and you won’t have to worry about dark circles under your eyes anymore. Just remember to stay hydrated, get enough exercise, and consider using technology to help you fall asleep. Soon, you’ll be getting your best beauty rest.
For more life advice and helpful content, check out Madeline Sharples’ blog.
About the author:
Thanks for the technology tips. I never get eight hours sleep.