There’s nothing that beats a peaceful eight-hour beauty sleep! Apart from feeling relaxed and rejuvenated the next morning, there’s enough scientific data to back that it can do wonders to your skin as well. A goodnight’s sleep is truly precious, and it’s about time that we acknowledge this fact. Continue reading to find out ways you can get a good night’s rest, aka your beauty sleep.
1. Sleeping Masks
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Sleeping masks are a product of highly thoughtful innovations that work on your skin while you snooze. A richer version of moisturisers, overnight masks repair, brighten, hydrate and exfoliate so you can wake up to fresh and glowing skin.
2. Nourish Your Lips
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Matte lipsticks, air conditioning and UV rays can seriously dehydrate, dry and darken the lips. To ensure waking up to luscious, supple lips, slather on some thick lip balm or a lip mask. Look for nourishing ingredients such as shea butter, coconut oil, vitamin E.
3. Bedtime Routine
The lockdown has increased our habit of binge-watching and midnight snacking, both of which are a big no-no before bedtime. “Blue light can trick your brain into thinking that it is still daytime, which reduces melatonin, an important hormone that regulates good sleep,” says Sonia Jhas, leading South Asian health and wellness expert. Food items like coffee and chocolate can also hamper your sleep. “Caffeine recharges your body, opens up the mind and increases energy. Exactly what you do not need when you are going off to sleep,” adds Dr Manoj Kutteri, wellness director, Atmantan Wellness Center.
4. Bed Linen
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It may sound gimmicky, but your linens play a big role in getting good quality sleep and keeping your hair and skin healthy. Opt for a silk pillowcase instead of cotton as it doesn’t cause friction which is the main reason for frizz and hair breakage. Also, cotton tends to absorb moisture from the skin; a silk pillowcase will ensure your serums and night creams work efficiently all night long.
5. Sleeping Apps
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There are a bunch of sleeping apps that could actually help you win your fight against irregular sleep cycles or no sleep at all and their after-effects. These apps are your one-stop-shop for all things serenity, from tracking sleep cycles to sleep-inducing techniques. Stress and anxiety reduction, meditation, sleep quality, sleep soundtracks are some of the features such apps offer. Calm, Sleep Cycle, Noisli, Balance, Mindhouse and Slumber are a few sleeping apps we recommend. Pooja Khanna, co-founder, Mindhouse, says, “We host a variety of sleep stories narrated by known Bollywood celebrities such as Rahul Bose, Konkona Sensharma and Amol Parashar on the app. This format blends descriptive storytelling with the technique of visualisation meditation, calming ambient music, and great voice-overs to create a soothing experience for the listener. These stories can be a very useful tool to help fix sleep patterns, which helps with better productivity during the day as well.”
6. Aromatherapy & Meditation
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Try deep breathing exercises before sleeping to calm your mind that helps you sleep better. To boost the effect of meditation, use aromatherapy alongside. Dr Kutteri recommends applying chamomile or lavender essential oil on the heels before bedtime.
