Sleep is a precious commodity that’s essential for everyone’s health and emotional wellbeing.
Here we look at the science of beauty sleep and help you to build a good bedtime routine that supports healthy sleep.
Why do we need sleep?
Sleep gives our bodies time to repair daily damage and helps to restore our energy and immune function levels. It is so important for our wellbeing that the NHS recommend that we aim for around 6-9 hours of sleep per night[i].
How important is sleep for your health?
Getting a good night’s isn’t always easy, and our sleep can be disturbed by all kinds of factors. Experiencing prolonged episodes of poor sleep is known as insomnia and according to the NHS as many as a third us could experience this[ii].
If left unmanaged, insomnia can quickly take its toll on your health and in addition to zapping your energy and concentration levels, it can be a contributing factor to mental health conditions such as anxiety and a depressed moodii.
For this reason, the NHS encourages those regularly going without sleep to create a good bedtime routine that makes getting to sleep easieri.
All of the sleep-boosting changes they recommend are easy to do and include setting a regular bedtime, having a bath, winding down at night without screen time and making your bedroom sleep friendly.
For those wanting to be clearer on what’s causing your disturbed sleep they suggest keeping a sleep diary and writing down your worries.[i]
If these changes do not work for you, your GP or pharmacist can give you further guidance on steps you can take to get more sleep. If you have been unable to sleep for some time or are finding your inability to sleep is affecting your physical or mental wellbeing, we encourage you to follow NHS guidance and speak to your GP about your sleep.
How important is sleep for your skin?
Skin regeneration is one of the many reparative processes the body undertakes while we sleep, so we asked Green People founder Charlotte Vøhtz if there’s any truth in the concept of beauty sleep, or if it’s simply a myth that staying up past your bedtime can leave the skin looking weary.
CHARLOTTE SAYS:
“Researchii has actually proven that good sleepers have lower intrinsic skin ageing and their skin barrier recovers 30% faster than poor sleepers. Poor sleepers also suffer from high levels of trans-epidermal water loss, which can lead to dry skin that has a greater tendency to show the signs of ageing.
“Preparing your skin for sleep is really important and there are some small changes you can make to ensure that your skin is working hard at night to remove toxins and restore a good healthy complexion.”
4 steps to better sleep
1. CREATE A STRESSLESS SLEEP ENVIRONMENTMaking your sleep zone ‘sleep-friendly’ is one of the sleep tips issued by the NHS and we have to agree that this is excellent advice.
To start, clear up any clutter and ventilate your room to remove any unwanted odours that could disturb your sleep.
Once your room is clear, it’s time to make your sleeping environment as serene as it can be in readiness for your new bedtime routine.
Here are some things you can try to make a stressless sleep environment:
- Dim the lights to create a cosy feel
- Ban blue light from the bedroom and switch off your phone and other tech devices at least an hour before bedtime
- Make yourself a soothing hot drink, we suggest a cup of calming Chamomile tea
- Fill your room with a sleep-inducing scent from a diffuser. For short cycles of scent, we offer a portable Time to Inhale Handheld Diffuser which can be used to mist your favourite sleep scents around the bedroom
- Pop ‘pillow drops’ of a sleep-inducing essential oil blend on your pillow. The Alexandra Time to Sleep and Time to Relax blends are ideal for this and deliver a soothing Lavender scent that helps to calm and relax the mind as you sleep
- Keep a notebook and pen by your bedstand. That way, you can write down any worries that wake you in the night so that you can track your sleep disturbances and look into ways to overcome them and restore your sleep.
2. BUILD A NIGHT SKIN CARE ROUTINE
Making small changes to your evening skin care routine can also make it easier to unwind and prepare mind and body for an evening of good rest.
Soak your way to slumber with a pre-bed bath
An invigorating shower is ideal for waking you up in the morning but a bath is best when you want to wind down.
To make a relaxing evening bath, blend a few drops of Alexandra Kay’s Time to Sleep Pure Essential Oil Blend with an unscented bath wash and swirl the combination into warm running water. This sleep-inducing blend features pure essential oils chosen for their calming, soothing properties that can help to relieve feelings of anxiety so that you can rest better.
Alexandra Kay Time to Sleep Essential Oil Blend 10ml
A calming evening blend of pure essential oils to prepare you for a restful sleep
€22,95
If washing your hair, use our Daily Aloe Shampoo and Conditioner. These gently cleanse the hair and scalp and contains Lavender oil and Lavandin essential oils which known for their soothing, relaxing properties.
Take your time in the bath and if it helps you to unwind, read a book or listen to a podcast whilst your skin soaks in the soothing water and the calming essential oil aromas unwind your mind.
KEEP NIGHTTIME SKIN CARE SIMPLE
Let’s face it, no one has time for a 7-step bedtime skin care routine and what’s more, applying too much skin care before bed risks congesting your pores so that they can not perform their nightly functions.
A better course of action is to thoroughly cleanse and then apply a nourishing natural night cream and eye cream. If your skin is very dry and you regularly wake to tight, flaky skin, you may also want to apply a drop or two of facial oil.
Exfoliation should only be done in the evening but only ever done 1-2 times a week. Read more about how to exfoliate.
3. MAKE TIME FOR MASSAGE AND MINDFULNESS
If worry and aches make you feel restless, pamper yourself to lift your mood and distract you from the worry of losing more sleep.
We can help you to look after your wellbeing through skin care. Our Gua Sha massage tools are a real treat for tired eyes and can help tease tension and puffiness from the skin.
This self-care step can be done each evening as part of your bedtime routine and takes just seconds to do. Simply choose your preferred Gua Sha stone, create slip with a facial oil and then guide the massage tool around the complexion, working outwards to encourage lymphatic drainage. Read about choosing the best facial oil for Gua Sha.
To further boost your cell turnover rate, try incorporating facial yoga into your daily routine. Facial exercises are easy to do at home and it is thought that practising facial yoga regularly can help prolong the longevity of facial muscles so that the skin on the neck and face stays supple for longer.
A body massage can also help you to relax before bed and Alexandra Kay’s organic massage oils create enough slip for around 5 full body massages and 20 neck and shoulder massages.
4. REJUVENATE WHILE YOU REST
If you know that disturbed sleep disturbs the balance of your skin, feed your skin a topical boost of nutrients by applying an anti-ageing sleep mask at least twice weekly as part of your bedtime routine. The essential fatty acids Omega-3,6&9, found in our Hydra-Glow Sleep Mask, are the building blocks of healthy skin and are crucial for keeping the skin barrier hydrated, plump and vibrant.
Better still, this indulgent overnight sleep mask is scented with a blissful blend of warm citrus notes to clear the mind and soothe nervous tension, aiding a restful sleep.
Age Defy+ Hydra-Glow Sleep Mask 50ml
Pillow-soft skin starts with this intensely hydrating organic sleep cream
€44,95
Shop the sleep collection
Shop the full Green People sleep collection with our quick links:
- Shop essential oils for sleep
- Shop bedroom diffusers
- Shop night-time skin care
- Shop bedtime body oils
Need help choosing the right skin care products to support a good bedtime routine for sleep? Our UK customer care team can help you pick the perfect products for your skin concerns and can be contacted on organic@greenpeople.co.uk or 01403 740350
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[i] https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/how-to-get-to-sleep/
