For many of us, poor sleep quality can be due to excessive amounts of stress or a lack of self-care. Sometimes, insomnia or poor sleep just comes down to just not having enough joy, connection, and fulfillment in your life! Lucky for us, we can each create joy in our lives every day in small ways. Be sure to connect with loved ones often, practice self-care, and find healthy hobbies to increase joy in your life.
Our happiness, peace, and fulfillment in life, like our skin health, is our responsibility and takes work. Similar to how the ligaments, muscles, and bones in your body have connections, every habit in your life is connected! Building good habits, like sleep hygiene, promotes collagen production and therefore, healthier skin. You have to NURTURE yourself, not only your skin, but your spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental health. By this, I don't mean just take a day at the spa, but all those things we forget to do such as protecting our boundaries from harmful people, spiritual or religious practices, spending more time with healthy people who have healthy habits rather than addictions or destructive behaviors, saying no to things or people that make you feel depleted, and saying yes to things that are good for you even if you feel guilty for taking time just for that activity. Maybe you're not the best dancer, but you feel great dancing. It's healthy to indulge in fun physical activities, so take that dance class if it's something you'd enjoy. Maybe you know you can't afford to travel abroad right now. Take Italian anyway if it's fun and gets you in touch with that part of yourself that's curious about Italian culture. Do things that bring joy, relaxation, and open up the world to you in healthy ways, even if others don't understand the point of a woman who can't dance taking a weekly dance class; it's not for anyone but yourself. That brings me back to sleep hygiene.
You won’t have the energy to do fun things or nurture your creativity or connections if you’re not taking care of the basics. The basics are lots of hydration, heathy foods, and yes, quality sleep! Quality sleep may be the most important of these. Quality sleep means uninterrupted sleep, and it has to be consistent.
The amount and quality of rest you get each night affects the health of your skin in so many ways. When you don’t rest well consistently, this speeds up signs of aging, you'll have darker undereye circles, and there will be more inflammation in the body overall which can increase pain, brain fog, and fatigue. Lack of sleep can cause lack of motivation and reduced cognitive functioning. You can become more irritable, emotionally dysregulated and moodier, which can lead to poor choices in both diet and exercise which leads to yes, more premature aging, in the form of wrinkles, and fine lines. Plus, as if lack of quality sleep wasn't hurting our skin enough, we tend crave more sugar when we're consistently tired! I say it all the time, sugar is a collagen killer!
Many people don't think about how lack of quality sleep can impact your relationships and work life, but of course, it does, because you’re not at your best. As a result, you could find yourself sinking into depression or anxiety. Maybe you're already there. I strongly suggest speaking to your doctor if that's happening. All these consequences of poor sleep reduce your overall quality of life. And all of this stress on the body and mind ROBS you of smooth, glowing skin!
I’ve done some research about ways to increase the quality of good sleep. Remember, if you do research, seek reputable sources like research hospitals such as the Cleveland Clinic or sources like the national library of medicine. But again, always ask your doctor about health-related concerns first. They know your personal circumstances, and everybody is different! But everyone, no matter their stage in life or health benefits from maintaining a solid sleep hygiene routine.
Planning a sleep routine promotes relaxation and reduction of stress, so here are some ideas!
5 tips for better sleep hygiene:
1- Aim to go to sleep at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. Ask your doctor how many hours of sleep is optimal for your age, gender, and health. Aim for that.
2- Make sure your bedding and pajamas are clean and comfortable, the temperature of your home is comfortable, and be sure to reduce noise and lower lights as it gets closer to bedtime. This signals to your brain it’s time to slow down, and rest.
3- Limit screen time before bed. The light from smart phones, television, and computers can promote a more wakeful state which can make it harder to go to sleep. Never mind the volatility of something we may see on the news or online. It’s best to reduce stimulation both mentally and physically as bedtime approaches.
4- Don’t drink alcohol, especially in excess or close to bedtime. Alcohol reduces the quality and consistency of sleep and causes interrupted sleep. It may seem like alcohol helps you nod off, but it also causes a rebound affect. Alcohol causes you to wake up through the night and next-day tiredness. Let's not forget, if you drink, and share a bed with someone, you'll reduce your partner’s ability to rest, too, with all the tossing, turning, extra trips to the bathroom, and maybe late-night snacking! That doesn’t promote a harmonious household, and a household that isn't harmonious again, will impact stress levels and in turn, impact your skin health! Plus, alcohol is dehydrating, so it leads to dry skin and premature aging, too.
5- Include some form of relaxation techniques in the evening. Light stretching, relaxing music, yoga, meditation, reading, prayer if you’re religious, any light activity that makes you feel relaxed and ready for sleep. Don't try to start an activity in the evening or speak to someone who regularly tests your patience. Set aside time in your evening to focus on unwinding.
I hope these sleep hygiene tips get you on the path to a better night's rest and healthier skin. When you see a difference in your sleep, you will feel better. Before you know it, you’ll see that difference in your skin, too! Our skin glows when we glow from the INSIDE out. When we function at our highest level during waking hours, it leads to more mindful decisions, a HAPPIER life. Happiness really does glow from the inside out. Audrey Hepburn was right, happy girls really are the prettiest.
Until next time, thank you for choosing me for your aging beautifully journey!
Love, Angelina
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