If you haven’t been pushing out the z’s and having your
regular six to eight hours of sleep, you're probably keen to find some natural ways to sleep better. Apart from making you feel lethargic, moody and fuzzy headed, a lack of sleep can have a terrible impact on your skin.
Insomnia, or sleeplessness can cause chronic inflammation, irritated skin and premature ageing. Often, the lack of sleep is triggered by
stress, which is also detrimental to your overall health and wellbeing.
When we don’t sleep well, our hormones go out of whack – cortisol (the stress hormone) tends to increase and disrupt the balance of melatonin (the sleep hormone) and serotonin (the happiness hormone). In fact,
stress-related sleep deprivation can create a plethora of skin related issues
including:
- Our ability to produce and
manufacture collagen
- Disruption of the acid mantle
- Skin dehydration due to an
increase in trans epidermal water loss (TEWL)
- Increased sensitivity and
permeability
- Premature aging due to a
decrease in skin elasticity
- Drop in immunity levels which
can exacerbate chronic skin problems
- Breakdown in the skin membrane
which can increase bacterial invasion
10 natural ways to sleep better and improve your complexion
- Set a regular bedtime and stick to it. Too many late nights create bad sleeping habits. Try to
hit the sack before 10pm. During the first phase of our sleep cycle we move
into deep sleep more rapidly and we are less likely to wake up and be
disturbed.
- Swap out the caffeine for chamomile
or herbal teas after 12pm. Warm milk with a sprinkle of nutmeg and a teaspoon
of honey is a great before-bedtime drink, as it increases l- tryptophan an
essential amino acid associated with rest. It’s the precursor to serotonin which
is then converted to melatonin, which governs our circadian or sleep-wake cycle.
Honey creates an insulin spike which causes the tryptophan to cross the blood
brain barrier creating a conversion of serotonin to melatonin in the pineal
gland. The increase in melatonin tells our body to go nighty-night.
- Remove all electronic devices from your bedroom – this includes your phone and laptop and even your TV. This also
removes electromagnetic fields (EMF’s). Bedrooms are the place for rest and
relaxation, not stimulation.
- Shower or bath before bed to wash off the cares of the day and make sure
your sheets and PJ’s are nice and clean. Try adding chamomile and lavender
essential oils to a non-scented laundry liquid and use this to wash all bed linen.
- Exercise your body during the day to physically tire you out.
Research has proven that an average of 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous
activity provides up to a 65% improvement in sleep quality and makes you feel
more alert during the day compared to those who don’t exercise.
- Don’t watch the clock – If you can’t sleep, try listening to a meditation
that works by relaxing your whole body and utilises the breath, such as a
yoga nidra.
- Hungry or full? Eat early enough for your digestion to have
settled down, but not too early so that you go to bed hungry. Sleep time is when
your body is also fasting and your digestive system is having a break as well.
- Overworked? Worrying about work related issues really does not
solve them. There's always a solution. Get it out of your head. Keep a pad and
pen by your bedside and journal what is bothering you, while writing down
possible solutions and strategies.
- Quit smoking – Yep, not good for the skin or good for getting a
good night's kip. If you’re a frequent smoker, then your body is going through nicotine withdrawal, which means that you are 20 times more likely to wake up during
the course of the night.
- Lay off the booze – As the alcohol starts to wear off, your body
comes out of deep sleep and back into rapid eye movement (REM) cycle which is
not as deep and easier to wake from. During the course of a night's sleep, you
usually have 6-8 cycles or REM sleep which leaves you feeling refreshed. If you’ve
been drinking, you usually only have 1-2 cycles leaving you waking up feeling exhausted
and most likely dehydrated.
Do you have trouble sleeping? Please share your tips, tricks and your own surefire ways to sleep here.
