Are you tired of looking tired every morning?
Hands up – who gets more than 7 hours of sleep daily?
No…?
Well, you are in good company.
According to a recently published study by SingHealth Polyclinics, 44% of Singaporeans have insufficient sleep on weekdays. The sleep-deprived tend to use mobile devices in bed or in the bedroom, the study found. They also tend to hold full-time jobs, smoke, and have caffeinated drinks two hours before turning in.
So while full-coverage concealers may help mask (mild) under-eye shadows, unfortunately, nobody can cheat eight hours of shut-eye by piling on makeup alone.
And on those few and far between days when you manage to hit the sack early and wake up expecting to see radiant, glowing skin? Well… nothing could be further from the truth… #whyisleepsomuchstilllooklikecrap…
So, how do you look fresh-faced without getting the recommended hours of sleep? Well, beauty sleep isn’t a myth or a numbers game. Simply put, quantity is as important as quality. The truly refreshed, well-rested looking people you know are optimizing their beauty sleep. Perhaps it is time for you to lay your morning-zombie face to rest with these beauty sleep tips:
1. Sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase
Silk or satin is better for the skin as it glides easily and prevents wrinkling. Their textures soften facial wrinkles and fine lines because it causes less friction between your skin and the pillowcase. Skin-loving silk versions can also soothe skin, help to lock in moisture and prevent visible dehydration. Smooth silk or satin also keeps you from waking up with a bird’s nest on top of your head as it doesn’t catch and pull your hair as much when you toss and turn at night, eliminating bed head and split ends.
2. Dry your hair before bed
Going to bed with wet or just-dried hair is a haircare no-no. Sleeping on wet hair makes it more susceptible to breakage and ruins any chance of you having a good hair day in the morning. It’s also ideal to keep your hair out of your face while you’re sleeping to keep its natural oils from wreaking havoc on your complexion. Word of caution: avoid pulling it into a really tight bun or ponytail because that can cause hair breakage, especially around the hairline. You can try wrapping it up in a scarf (silk would be ideal), while a high, loose ponytail is a great way to keep your most recent blowout intact.
3 . Ditch the distractions
We ALL check our mobile phones after lights-off (admit it!). The bad news is that, like TVs, smartphones emit blue light which can trick the body’s production of melatonin (a hormone that promotes sleep) into slowing down. When your body doesn’t produce as much melatonin, you find it more difficult to fall asleep. This is why you shouldn’t use a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, portable game console, or e-reader before you sleep. Your body should always associate your bed with sleep. If you refuse to remove your phone from the room, one helpful tip is to flip it over, screen-side down, during bedtime. Many phones light up when there’s an incoming text, email, or push notification from an app, and all these may distract you from sleeping or even wake you up. Remember: all the news feeds, social media updates, tweets, emails, messages, notifications and likes/dislikes/follow/unfollow (blah blah…) will all still be there in the morning.
4. Skincare you should sleep with
While you are snoozing, your skin goes to work in repairing the day’s damage, and using the right products can definitely optimize the healing process and achieve more radiant skin. Estetica’s VitaLIft A+ Miracle Lift Serum and VitaLift A+ Skin Repair Cream maximises cellular renewal, aids in DNA repair and delivers continuous hydration in one quick hit. Its exclusive active ingredient – Matrixyl Synthe’ 6 is a novel tripeptide which acts as a wrinkle-filler for visibly smoother, plumper skin and actively promotes the synthesis of six skin matrix constituents to rebuild the skin network for younger-looking skin. Don’t pass out without it!
5. Make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary
Create the dream environment: darken your room and put on some spa or relaxing music; prepare an infusion of essential oil (lavender/vanilla) designed to remedy sleeplessness; and practise deep belly breathing. This simple combo will relax and calm your mind and senses simultaneously. Even if you manage just five hours of shut-eye instead of eight — sound quality sleep will bring on that bright eyes, dewy skin and bouncy hair come morning. One word: #SLAY.
Follow these tips and you’ll be right on track to becoming a sleeping beauty!
P.S. Don’t blame us if you can’t wake up the next morning though!
In good hands,
Estetica
