Are you getting the true beauty benefits of sleep?

Ever been curious about the term beauty sleep? Ever wondered if you’re getting all the beauty benefits of sleep? I dove deep into sleep’s effect on beauty and learned just how important Zzzz’s can be! In this post I’m sharing the why’s and the how’s to set yourself up for the best regenerative beauty sleep.

Most experts agree that 7-8 hours is the magic number when it comes to sleep, allowing the body to restore mentally and regenerate physically. Getting in those magic hours promotes optimum apoptosis AKA programmed cell death, the body’s house cleaning mechanism. The anti-inflammatory process of nightly apoptosis trashes aging, inflamed, and damaged cells.

Another essential function of sleep is fluid management. Hydration levels drastically effect skin, under eye bags, lip plumpness, and an overall aesthetic of youth-fullness. When we cut our sleep time short, six hours or less, fluid retention is disrupted. This disruption causes the body to release an excess of water in our urine, causing visible dehydration of the skin.

Now that we know the why’s behind how sleep effects beauty, I wanted to share 5 top beauty sleep tips and how I improved my sleep quality with a few helpful products.

1. Go to bed and wake up at the same time everday. This healthy sleep routine streamlines sleep hormone release and helps your body fall into sleep patterns more quickly, resulting in optimal sleep.
2. Don’t consume caffeine after 2 PM. Scientific studies prove that caffeine disrupts QUALITY of sleep, even if you can still fall asleep after drinking it. Avoid it 6-8 hours before you go to bed since that’s how long it takes the effects of caffeine to ware off. 
3. Do not snooze! Once you wake, you are not engaging in anymore beneficial functions of sleep. The only result you’re going to get from snoozing is loosing precious time and feeling groggy.
4. Limit exercise 4 hours before bed to cool your core body temp for better sleep. If you do like to workout late,  take a cold shower when you get home to cool core temp before you attempt to sleep.
5. Get 15 minutes of sunlight every morning to stimulate a healthy circadian rhythm for the next 24 hours. 

Bed
What you sleep on is one of the most impactful components of proper beauty sleep. If your mattress is 5 years old or older, you might want to consider a new mattress. As mattresses age, they lose support, which can lead to a disruption of your sleep. Nate and I were sleeping on his 10+ year old mattress and It was time for a major upgrade. We decided on the New Casper Wave mattress, scientifically designed for uninterrupted sleep. It support’s 33 specific points and keeps us cool with it’s humidity fighting cover. We also loved the fact that it came to our door in a manageable box and only took us 3 minutes to set up. LINK TO CASPER WAVE

Bedding
Quality bedding is another essential. Many bedding brands sell synthetic products that can irritate sensitive skin in addition to worsening allergies, eczema, hay fever and asthma. We sleep on biodegradable cotton and linen bedding from LOOMSTEAD made of breathable natural fibers. Natural fibers are soothing to the skin and promote restful sleep.

Sleep spray
Aromatherapy is a scientifically proven sleep game changer. I spray Osea’s Rest Linen Mist on our pillow’s every night, it’s an organic calming mist rich in pure steam-distilled lavender to minimize stress and promote deep sleep. It smells like heaven! OSEA REST LINEN MIST

For more beauty tips check out this popular post FOR BETTER SKIN, SHOULD YOU EAT ANTIOXIDANTS OR USE THEM IN SKIN CARE?