There are a few good habits out there that seem like they should be easy to take up. Habits requiring no strenuous activity. Habits for which pretty much all of us already have the special equipment. Habits as natural as breathing (right, another one that should be easy, lol). Habits with the power to make you feel fantastic every single day. With seemingly little effort. It's the "seemingly" part that gets us. Easier said than done. Sleeping, for instance. Shouldn't it be easy? We all know we need it. We've been told time and again exactly how much we need. We've been instructed on the dos and don'ts of sleep hygiene so often that I'm sure we all know them by heart. And who hasn't experienced fresh-faced delight, seeing happy rainbows everywhere, taking the greatest joy from the simplest little moment, all because you had a good night's worth?
I, for one, guard my sleep. There is little I prize as much as getting to bed early and falling into a deep, beautiful sleep. The kind of sleep that makes me forget how much I like the daytime. When I inevitably wake during the night, there's the exhilaration of taking a quick peek at the time and discovering I have four or five hours left before the alarm goes off. Quiet exhilaration knowing I can snuggle back into the covers, dive into dreamtime and luxuriate in knowing there are no pressing tasks to complete until the morning that's still far off. Getting to bed early thus does wonders to dispel the anxiety that can raise its ugly head in the wee hours of the night. Yes, sleep is one of the great pleasures of life.
But chances are, you're not getting enough sleep. If you are sleeping enough, you know your fortune. Who's happier than those of us who sleep? If you have trouble sleeping, I'm so sorry I seem insensitive. I do care about you.
It used to be that I was sleep deprived right along with most of the population. It began with a landlord who lived in the suite below me and snored up a wild storm each and every night. I resorted to sleeping pills. An experience I don't plan to repeat. Then restless leg syndrome set in. That unquenchable twitch that sets in just when you feel calm and relaxed. Over time I found a holistic solution for that. Thank goodness sleep was mine again. But then I moved into a loft with a "neighbour" next door (not the Mr. Rogers version of a neighbour), who played screaming loud music all night long, every night, keeping the entire floor up. Some of us asked politely. Some asked impolitely. There was banging on walls. Some called the police. It never ended. And I was pregnant. Then the baby came. Previously, I worked as a postpartum doula. I helped parents with "difficult" babies. I gently helped their babies to sleep. This was one of my talents. I had all the tools. My own baby? He was having nothing of this. From 9pm to midnight, he woke every fifteen minutes. For the rest of the night he awakened every one to two hours. He stopped napping, entirely, when he was 2 1/2 months old. Finally, he started sleeping through the night when he was five. Honestly, I don't know how I did it. I don't know how I made it through the long days.
What I do know is there were many times when I was off. A few years ago I took out the Christmas tree ornaments. Almost all our decorations are homemade. I was taking a nostalgic look at the saltdough candycanes. A laugh escaped me. Why had I never noticed I attached the hooks to the bottoms of the canes? (I finally notice about the time my daughter began to sleep through most nights). And why had no one ever mentioned this? I mean, I had multiple ornament decorating "events" that year. Nobody said a thing. (Some of you are reading this. Did you notice? Were you scratching your head? Or were you tired, too?)
That story is the best of sleep deprivation. Usually it's not funny.
I know some of you have been like this for years. The ability to sleep is out of your control. My heart goes out to you.
But many of you love your daytime living too much to prioritize sleep. You love the lazier, free-time hours of the evening. You feel more creative in the dark hours. You savour those moments when the rest of the house is quiet. You're addicted to a Netflix series. You love a good party. You have selective amnesia and forget every day how awful you'll feel tomorrow morning. Or the worst is you're so slow from being tired that you can't get everything done and you stay up late to finish.
I'm here to convince you good sleep is essential. I'll trick you into getting enough sleep by appealing to your vanity ;) You're going to look fantastic because you're going to make good sleep a priority.
Here it goes. 8 reasons you can sleep your way to beautiful skin:
1) We all know sun exposure damages the skin. But did you know this damage continues for up to three hours after you've taken yourself out of the sun? Did you know the most effective DNA repair of your skin happens while you're asleep? Repairing your sun damaged skin is an excellent reason to get in your eight hours a night.
2) During the night while you're asleep, your skin is capable of absorbing more oil and more water than during the day. This means that the botanical goodness in your night cream sinks in deeper while you're asleep than when you're awake. The peak time for absorption is 4:00am.
3) You have a few different types of skin cells. One kind of skin cell is responsible for protecting you from harmful microbes, from UV light exposure and it makes sure your skin stay hydrated. These skin cells are most prolific at about midnight, especially if you're asleep. They're at their lowest numbers at around noon.
4) When you don't get enough sleep, your skin becomes dehydrated. This makes all your skin lines and wrinkles more apparent. Essentially, when you get enough sleep, you can't see your wrinkles!
5) Sallow skin or yellow skin occurs when you don't get enough sleep. If you find you have dull skin, sleep will help restore your skin to its normal, healthy coloring.
6) Your skin becomes less elastic when you don't get regular sleep, meaning more lines on your face. It doesn't only look like there are more - there actually are more. But this also means regular sleep every night is a great way to keep new wrinkles from beginning. It's in your control :)
7) When comparisons are made between women who get regular sleep and those who don't, women with enough sleep have lower skin age. Their skin even recovers more quickly from sun burn.
8) Women who get enough sleep report they like what they see in the mirror, in contrast to those who don't sleep regularly. Like I said, we're all a lot happier when we get enough sleep! Our outlook is a lot more optimistic 😍
Are you sold? Going to give it a try? This is an easy habit: you just lie there and do nothing. What could be easier?! (If you have trouble sleeping, I do make a product for you to try out. I have lots of happy customers. I'm not writing this post to sell you Sleep Well tincture. I'm telling you about the tincture because I've just told you how important sleep is. I don't want to leave you hanging there, hopeless. I want you, too, to reap the benefits of a great night's sleep. If you're interested in trying this tincture, send me a message).
For more easy habits, download 5 Easy Habits for Beautiful Skin. And please leave a comment below! All my best to you, Chwynyn Sign up for my newsletter to read more like this
PS If you're just skimming, scroll up to the bold print to read 8 reasons you can sleep your way to beautiful skin
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