Beauty Sleep: Good for your Skin, Great For Your Health

You can improve your skin and health by taking the time to get good quality sleep. People who don’t get enough sleep look older than they are, with dark circles under their eyes and pale skin.

However, in a society that values hard work and the importance of ‘burning the midnight oils’, quality sleep is often overlooked and seen as an indicator of lazyness.

For many aspects of your health, getting enough sleep is crucial. Did you know that those who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to have problems?

Obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes can lead to obesity.
A higher rate of mental illness including anxiety and depression.
High incidence of congestive cardiac failure and drug-resistant hypertension
Conditions such as snoring, or obstructive sleeping apnea, can make existing problems with sleep worse.

It is clear that sleep is essential for general health and beauty. But, this is where many people get confused. Getting enough sleep does not depend on how much you sleep. It is dependent on the quality and quantity of your sleep. This can be explained in the general concept sleep hygiene.

You won’t get all the benefits of sleeping more if you sleep less. Your health and beauty is not dependent on sleep. Instead, sleep is a highly integrated part of your lifestyle, your diet, your stress levels and your work life.

This means that if your life is chaotic, getting more sleep may not be a good idea. In fact, hypersomnolence, or excessive sleeping, can indicate depression or another mental illness.

Insomnia can also be a sign that other aspects of your life are stressful or problematic. It is important not to see insomnia as the “tail wagging dog”, so to speak, in terms of sleep. Instead, look at your inability to fall asleep as a symptom and not a cause.

What can you do to improve your quality of sleep?

- - Before you go to bed, don’t eat large meals. To ensure a good night’s rest, insulin must be managed. Insulin levels that are high can prevent the conversion of L-tryptophan to the sleep hormone melatonin. High insulin levels can prevent melatonin from working properly, which is essential for a good night’s rest. High insulin levels can also hinder the release of human growth hormones during sleep. They also make it difficult to get into deeper, more restful sleep cycles (REM) in order to truly rest. It is important not to eat large meals before going to bed, especially if it contains sugar. This will increase insulin levels.
  - Avoid using tobacco and alcohol before going to bed as they can disrupt your sleep cycles. Although alcohol can make you feel sleepy at first, it also stops you from falling into deep sleep (REM) later on. Stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine are also harmful. These stimulants should be avoided as much as possible. Sleeping pills can also prevent you from falling into deep REM sleep, which is essential to feel refreshed and rested.
  - Keeping up late on TV or using the computer to play can also disrupt your sleep. Artificial light can often block the conversion of melatonin within the brain, which can interfere with sleep. This includes your tablets and smart phones, as well as all devices that use blue-light technology to provide background lighting.
  - Be consistent with your sleep patterns. Don’t sleep in, even if you have a weekend off. You might need to nap later, but at the very least, you can try keeping a schedule for when you fall asleep and when you wake up to see how it feels.
  - Keep your room dark and quiet. This will stimulate melatonin and give you a good night’s rest.
  - Have a glass of herbal tea. This is where Chamomile, spearmint, and peppermint are very useful.
  - Also, warm baths can be extremely beneficial. These can relax you and can also help you sleep better if you take mineral salt baths. Magnesium is a mineral that helps to push calcium from the muscles. This allows muscles to relax. Magnesium is often given to pregnant woman before giving birth to aid in contraction of the smooth muscle. Magnesium may also have a natural sedative effect and calming effect on your brain in a similar way. It prevents neurons from being ‘excited by’ molecule such as calcium or glutamate which can cause neurons to fire.
  - Melatonin is an effective supplement that can be taken to help you sleep well.
  - Exercise always helps. As long as the exercise isn’t strenuous or causes pain, it will not interfere with your ability to sleep. Many people find it difficult to exercise close to bedtime because it keeps them awake. However, this is true for some people. It is up to you to determine what works best for you. It is a good idea, however, to do a workout at least once a week, even if it is just a quick walk.