The phrase ‘beauty sleep’ has been around forever but have you ever wondered whether it is actually a real thing?
The answer is yes!
It’s true that the dreaded panda eyes, puffy face and pale skin can be enough to make ourselves feel a little less attractive, but now research shows that people who miss out on sleep appear less attractive to others.
Yes, it might sound particularly superficial, but sleep experiments in the past have suggested that a couple of bad nights is enough to make a person look ‘significantly’ more unattractive.
So how can we ensure we’re getting a proper night’s rest?
We consult the experts.
Lysn psychologist Nancy Sokarno and Biologi’s Dermal Specialist Lucy Macdougald weigh in on how to get the ultimate beauty sleep.
Get enough ZZZ’s
Surprisingly, there’s quite a few things we can do to get the ultimate beauty sleep.
Let’s start with the obvious – get enough sleep!
As a general rule, we should be getting an average of 5 to 8 hours of sleep per night.
5 hours is enough time to ensure our bodies are regenerated, but 8 hours is optimal for us to feel well rested.
Getting enough sleep each night has been proven to do wonders to our face and skin.
“Research suggests that just one night of poor sleep can cause things like dark under eye circles, puffy eyes, pale skin and more wrinkles and fine lines. However, the main reason you should focus on getting enough zzz’s is for your inner beauty. The same system that manages negative emotions is tied to the cyclical circadian rhythms of your sleep. I believe your inner beauty shows in your outer beauty, and enough sleep will have you feeling your best mentally – this is bound to show on your face,” says Sokarno.
Calm your mind
If you’re finding yourself having trouble with falling asleep at night, you may need to consider some of the reasons why.
Are you thinking about all the events from the day?
Are you worried about things you haven’t done?
Have you got too many things running through your mind at once?
When we lie down to sleep, it’s common for our mind to race with many different thoughts throughout the night.
If this is happening, it’s important to work out ways that calm our minds before going to bed.
Journaling is a great tactic to calm our minds by getting rid of all thoughts we have so we don’t need to think about them while lying in bed.
Or maybe even try meditating or reading a book!
Perfect your sleep environment
“Everything from bedding through to noise can affect your sleep so it is important to get these things right. I’m sure you’ve noticed when things aren’t right in your room – whether it’s too much light or noise, these things can keep you awake which will obviously go on to affect your entire night’s sleep,” says Macdougald.
Figure out what you need for the perfect rest and invest in it.
Sleep hygiene routines are important to establish.
Everyone’s environments for sleep are different, perhaps it’s light blocking curtains, a closed door, silk pillowcases, or the sounds of the rainforest.
Clean your face
We’ve all done it, crawling into our beds with our makeup still on.
What we don’t think is that going to bed with our makeup on, even for one night can affect our skin for days.
Before you go to bad, clean your face thoroughly to give your skin a chance to breath and refresh during the night.
Avoid electronics before bed
Scrolling through social media or watching our favourite tv shows before bed sounds like a nice way to relax at night, however TV, phones and iPads all emit light that can affect our sleep.
Electronics emit a certain type of blue light that can trigger our brains to stop making melatonin – a hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycle.
Best to pick up a book instead of reaching for your phone at night!
