We all know that amazing feeling you get after getting a solid night’s rest. You can think clearer, you have energy… and you may even look younger. We get so caught up with life sometimes that we forget the value of getting enough sleep so that our bodies can repair the damage we do during our stress-filled days, and this includes the damage to our faces. Instead of eventually having to drop hundreds on botox and lasers trying to combat aging – try these tips to start getting some quality beauty sleep.
Melatonin is your new bestie
Our bodies naturally produce less melatonin as we get older, which means less sleep, which affects our skin’s ability to repair itself at night. If falling asleep and staying asleep is an issue for you, taking a melatonin supplement to help combat decreased hormone levels is a good idea. Pop one about 30 minutes before going to bed to increase the depth and duration of restorative sleep. Restorative sleep, in turn helps accelerate and optimize the skin’s repair cycle, helping to avoid that tired, puffy, blotchy, I haven’t slept enough look.
Really wash your face before bed
With all the new long-lasting makeup out these days, we need to be even more thorough when we wash our faces at night. These products contain polymers that won’t easily dissolve with just soap and water – so invest in a good scrub or an oil based makeup remover (coconut oil works too!). You should also get into the habit of washing your face twice before bed to make sure all the goop is off.
Invest in a good night cream
Our skin naturally repairs itself at night while we sleep – so using an effective product on clean skin during this time is key. You don’t need to spend a ton of money – drugstore products like Olay are great – just be sure that it is specifically for overnight use (generally thicker and doesn’t contain an SPF that could block your pores). Also get a separate cream made just for the eyes. Since this skin is thinner, your face cream could be too harsh for this sensitive area – plus it’s where we tend to start wrinkling first.
Treat yo self to a mask
Since the skin is super receptive to products while we sleep, an overnight mask once or twice a week after a good exfoliation is a great treat for your face. Consider it an investment so that you don’t need to spend the big bucks on professional facials or lasers in the long run.
Dirty Hair is the enemy
You wash your face twice, you moisturize, and then you roll around on your potentially product-filled greasy hair all night. Doesn’t make much sense, does it? Pull your hair into a loose ponytail with a hair tie that won’t damage your hair, or wrap it in a scarf before bed.
Pillowcases: more important than you think
Friction from harsher cotton fibers can accelerate the development of permanent wrinkles in your face. This is no bueno. Invest in soft pillowcases – silk or satin – which can prevent trauma to the skin and reduce the chances of new wrinkles forming while you sleep. Washing your pillowcases once a week is also a great idea to keep blemishes at bay.
Get comfy with retinoid for anti-aging
Sure, I’m all for organic and all-natural products, but when it comes to battling signs of aging, sometimes you need something a little stronger. Retinoids are a vitamin-a derivative that are key to keeping your face looking young. Start by using an over the counter retinol-containing cream or serum every other night until your skin becomes more tolerant to the side effects, which is often dryness and redness. You can slowly move into stronger retinol creams from there.
Stop smushing your face
Train yourself not to sleep face down! This habit can cause premature wrinkles and creases, plus you’re just rubbing your face into potentially dirty pillowcases and sheets. If you are lucky and can sleep on you back, that is the best way to prevent wrinkles and creases from sleep habits.
These are excellent tips. I was having bad breakouts until I realized I wasn’t washing my pillow case enough and needed to change it far more often than my sheets. I now have a good collection of pillow cases to make this easier!
Really great tips. Sleep is very important to us and I found out that, going into bed earlier, helps me wake up earlier as well and more energized.