For many of us, the concept of beauty sleep might seem like a marketing ploy or just a plain myth. Researchers have found that getting eight hours of sleep not only improves your well-being but also your appearance.
When you sleep, your skin, like the rest of your body, goes into repair mode. Your cell turnover increases, your body gets rid of toxins and the pituitary gland excretes human growth hormone or (HGH). HGH is responsible for growth in children and adolescents and after we’ve reached maturity, it’s in charge of making sure our metabolism works like it should, that we can perform our best physically and may even help us live longer.
What can you do to get the ultimate beauty sleep? Firstly, you can swop out your regular pillowcase for satin or silk. Not only will you wake up with less creased skin, but your hair will also show less damage over time. Secondly, use a heavy hand when you slather on that moisturising mask and don’t even dare feel guilty about it. Our skin’s cell-turnover increases when we sleep so it needs more nutrients and moisture to keep it healthy and happy. Creams, serums and masks containing Vitamin A and C can really go to work during the night to help repair and nourish the skin.
How and on what you sleep is just as important. Did you know that your mattress, depending on its age, can play host to between one to ten million dust mites? And, that dust mites are one of the number cause of allergic rhinitis? Meaning if you wake up every morning with red puffy eyes and a stuffy nose you might be allergic to your bed. Yelp! To help solve this icky problem The Bed Shop uses Purotex® in selected beds in their range. Purotex® is a revolutionary technology based on 100% natural micro-encapsulated probiotics that are released within the mattress that helps to clean-up allergens. The active probiotics reduce the amount of house dust mite allergens by 89.3% and creates a fresh and clean sleeping environment.
Another way to say goodbye to puffy eyes is to sleep on your back with your head elevated. During sleep, fluid caused by allergies can pool under our eyes causing them to swell. By elevating your head during bedtime, you encourage the fluid to drain and prevent the dreaded puffy eyes.
So, while you might feel like not much is happening when you sleep, there really is a lot going on and it all contributes to how we look and feel. Just another reason to make sure you get your full eight hours of sleep tonight.
