Enjoying better looking, healthier skin can be just one of the benefits if you follow our top tips for good sleep.
The links between good physical health, your mood and getting enough sleep are well known. However, did you know that even your skin benefits when you pay attention to your Circadian rhythm (internal sleep-wake body clock)?
Sleep is something we mentioned within our article on enjoying a better self-care routine, as it’s a key part of investing in resilient, fresh-looking skin that feels and looks good.
While you sleep, healthy skin repairs and heals itself, replacing cells that have been impacted by free radicals, and environmental factors such as central heating and the weather. Night time is when collagen production increases too, building improved elasticity into your skin.
If you don’t let nature do its tasks undisturbed - during a few solid hours of sleep - you may find your skin is drier, more prone to spots and looks puffy or ‘tired’!
This is why the skin care experts at Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company are delighted to share with you these valuable tips for good sleep.
The basics of getting enough sleep
Adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night. That’s time spent going through the full sleep cycle, rather than simply resting in bed. So, the trick is to find ways to get to sleep quickly and stay asleep.
Some of the most important factors are getting plenty of exercise and fresh air in the daytime and avoiding rich food, alcohol, caffeine and electric gadgets late at night.
Having a comfortable bed and an authentically dark bedroom is also important.
If you’ve ticked all those boxes, the next step is to change your night-time routine to sleep better.
Pre-bed tips for good sleep
Before going to bed, there are things you can do to make sleep more likely, and more beneficial.
One of the best ways to relax at night is to unwind in a warm (but not over hot) bath. Especially if you add in aromatic natural bath salts and oils.
Even better is following up a beautifully scented bath with time spent massaging a natural body butter into your skin. The whole process is a sensory treat and deeply relaxing. The perfect example would be using our Luxury no.1 bath salts and then pampering your skin with Lavender and Frankincense Anti-Ageing body butter.
Skin prep for bedtime
Even if you don’t have time for a soak and all-over body treatment at night, your facial skincare routine can help you to unwind and get ready for slumber.
For instance, you could gently remove contaminates and add nutrients to your skin with our hemp oil cleanser, then caress in a layer of ultra-rich night formula moisturiser. Having well hydrated and soft skin in the first place makes it even more likely you will look great after sleeping too!
More tips for a good night’s sleep
What other things help to avoid poor sleep?
Some people listen to music to fall asleep in a more assured way. Others find it helpful to meditate before going to bed. You could also try writing down any concerns or issues that could keep your brain ‘whirling’.
On a similar topic, insomnia or poor sleep can become a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy if you start to worry about it. Follow these tips for good sleep, but if you're wide awake you could get up and read, make a suitable drink, empty your mind and try again.
Did you know that buying bed linen with a high thread count or silk pillowcases are ways to sleep more comfortably and protect skin as you move around in slumber?
Other natural remedies for improved sleep include warm milk or bananas at supper time, eye masks and weighted blankets.
When peaceful sleep is not possible
There are times when even the best tips for good sleep can’t help you, such as if you have a young baby or work shifts. That’s when you may need to ‘fake it, ‘til you make it’ and buy skincare products that help you to look less tired!
At the very least, treat yourself to something from our genuinely pure and clean skincare range, as you deserve it if sleep is a luxury!
For everyone else, we wish you a very good night - and well-rested skin.