THE BENEFITS OF SLEEP FOR YOUR SKIN & BEYOND
Sleep is one of the most important things we do naturally, it's up there with eating healthily and exercising when it comes to its benefits to our overall health.
WHY IS A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP SO IMPORTANT?
Adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night, during this time your body rests and starts to fix itself. Having a good night's sleep is responsible for warding off many short-term issues such as fatigue & trouble concentrating, but it can also prevent serious long-term health issues.
- Reduced Inflammation: When you're not getting enough sleep, it may cause inflammation throughout your body, leading to possible cell and tissue damage. Long-term inflammation may lead to chronic health issues such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Improved Concentration: During sleep, your brain forgets new thought connections. People who have a good night's sleep are more productive and experience better performance, memory, and concentration than people who are sleep deprived.
- Eating Fewer Calories: When you don't have a proper nights sleep, you don't have enough energy, and you are more likely to gain weight. People who have had good nights sleep are less likely to eat in-between meals because they are more energized and awake, meaning they don't need to eat food to regain their energy.
- Decreased Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke: Having a poor nights sleep increases your risk for chronic cardiovascular problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. Getting a healthy night's sleep reduces your risk of these serious conditions.
- Reduced Risk of Depression: If you are having inadequate or low-quality sleep it can increase your risk of getting depression, anxiety and other mental health issues. So making sure that you are regularly getting a healthy amount of sleep can seriously help with your overall mental health.
WHY IS SLEEP BENEFICIAL TO YOUR SKIN?
Understanding how important sleep is to your overall health, it's probably no surprise that it has a major part to play in your skin's health too. A good night's beauty sleep is highly recommended for glowing refreshed skin.
With you're asleep your body releases a human growth hormone, which is an important ingredient for collagen production. This allows your skin cells to repair, and improve skin texture & radiance. It strengthens the foundation of the skin helping eliminate the signs of ageing, including the appearance of wrinkles.
If you don't get enough good sleep it can cause the main stress hormone, Cortisol, to be released. This can encourage inflammation in the skin causing flare-ups like acne, psoriasis and sometimes eczema. It also affects the PH levels in your skin, which lowers the moisture level and diminishes your natural glow.
Not getting enough sleep can also cause dark circles and puffiness under your eyes. The skin under your eyes is thinner, which means that the blood vessels are closer to the surface. When you don't get enough restorative sleep these blood vessels dilate causing an increase in blood flow that is more noticeable in this delicate area, so creates a dark tint. it also causes the skin under your eyes to take on a swollen and puffy appearance due to excess fluids. This result in the "bags under your eyes" we associate with tiredness.
Though there's no replacement for a good night's sleep, if you have the odd late night and need some instant help with tired eyes, the Instant Eye Lift Serum is the perfect pick me up.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T GET ENOUGH SLEEP?
While it can be tempting to get by on less sleep when you have a busy schedule, it's worth considering the long-term effects. If you don't get enough sleep, over time you can develop sleep deprivation.
Sleep deprivation is a consistent lack of sleep or reduced quality of sleep. Having less than 7 hours of sleep on a regular basis can eventually lead to health consequences that will affect your whole body - draining your mental abilities, causing weight gain and weakening your immune system. Your body needs sleep just as much as it does air and food function at its best. Without enough sleep, your brain and body systems simply won't function properly.
WHAT CAN I DO TO GET A BETTER NIGHT'S SLEEP?
For some, a good night's sleep comes naturally. But for others, it can be more challenging! If getting to sleep, or staying asleep, is something you find difficult, there are some small changes you can make that may help you head off to the land of nod with ease.
In today's modern society you won't be surprised to hear that one of the most common mistakes we make is looking at a screen before getting to sleep. Whether it's scrolling through your mobile phone or tablet, using a computer or watching TV, it can have a big impact on how you sleep. This is because of the blue light emitted from their screens. Exposure to light helps control your natural sleep and wake cycle, or circadian rhythm.
As naturally, our bodies are exposed to blue light from the sun, it's no surprise the blue light energies and awakens you. It actually blocks a hormone in our body called Melatonin that makes you sleepy, instead of making you more awake and less likely to go to sleep. Instant Effects AM Energiser Day Cream is the perfect cream to help protect your skin from blue light damage that can potentially age your skin. To find out more about our AM Energiser Day Cream click here.
If you can't sleep don't pick up your mobile phone, (or any electronic device). Instead do light activities, like some light-hearted reading. This gives your eyes and brain a chance to have a break from looking at a screen all day and it's a good way to wind down before you go to sleep. A luxurious bath can help induce sleep and adding a scented bubble bath or essential oil will make you smell good as well as help you relax. Studies have found that if you have a bath 90 minutes before bed it could help you fall asleep more quickly, allowing you to have a better night's sleep. The reason for this is hot water helps change your boy's core temperature so that when you go to bed, your body's temperature is lower. This sends a message to your brain to tell you that it's time for bed.
Although there are known benefits of a glass of water before bed, it's important to limit this to a small glass. If you drink too much you may end up waking up throughout the night to go to the toilet, disturbing your sleep.
Getting plenty of exercise throughout the day can also help you get a good night's sleep. 20-30 minutes each day is a good start, but make sure you don't do any exercise just before bedtime, otherwise it will have the opposite effect, as your body will be full of energy!
Our lives are busy, we get it, and it can be hard to stick to a bedtime routine. However, a good schedule, making sure you go to sleep and take up at the same time each day, can help you get your sleep back on track. If you can't sleep at your set time, don't lay in bed tossing and turning. Instead, get up and do a light activity until you are tired again and then go to sleep. Make sure you get up the same time the next morning, or you will undo all of your hard work and have to start all over again. You'll probably find you will go to sleep earlier the next night because you're tired from the night before- which is a good thing of course.
FOR A BETTER GOOD NIGHT SLEEP WHY NOT TRY OUT A BAMBOO PILLOWCASE?
Bamboo is a Vegan and environmentally friendly alternative to silk, which is why we love it so much at Instant Effects and have added a bamboo pillowcase to our collection to complement our skincare products.
Bamboo fibre is very beneficial not only for your health but for your skin too. It contains natural elements which are anti-bacterial and hypo-allergenic making it the recommended fabric for people suffering from asthma or other respiratory illnesses. It's also recommended for people suffering from asthma or other preparatory illnesses. It's also recommended for people who suffer from acne, rosacea and eczema, and is an all-around skin hero in the bedroom. You can find out more about the benefits of a bamboo pillowcase here.
