While you slather on potions and lotions on your face, you know that ‘beauty sleep’ is called that for a reason, right? It basically means that you’ve to follow a schedule, catch your forty winks and wake up looking fabulous. Or passable, as the case may be. Sure endless scrolling is fun but it shows up on your face. Sunken eyes, dark circles, dehydrated, limp and dull skin is the result of an erratic sleep schedule and sleep procrastination.
But why do we sleep procrastinate? Many attribute it to the fact that in today’s fast-paced world, we hardly have any ‘me-time’. Everyone’s running, on the move, trying to get to the next place and get that next task done just to tick it off their to-do list for the day. With work dominating most of our lives, and with other commitments, it’s almost impossible to find a moment alone with our thoughts. And hence, we crave those much-awaited ‘before bedtime’ hours alone, that sort of blend into one another, and before you know it – it’s 4 a.m., you’re on your 15th episode (which is 10 episodes later than when you wanted to sleep), and you have a 9 a.m. call that you cannot miss.
Sleep procrastination is the worst kind of habit to inculcate into your daily routine because you can’t really pinpoint when it creeps up on you and takes away those precious hours where you should be giving your body the rest it needs after long, hard, working days. An erratic sleep schedule induces various skin-related concerns due to the direct effect it has on your psyche as well as your physical state.
Inadequate sleep increases cortisol levels, which in turn contributes to inflamed and irritated skin, causing breakouts galore. Reduced rest also, in turn, saps away the moisture from your skin, resulting in stubborn dullness that cannot be combatted easily. The dark circles, baggy eyelids and swollen eyes put the icing on a horrible cake.
Here are a few practises you can be mindful of in your daily routine to ensure your sleep procrastination woes are fielded away –
Consistency is Key
Making a constant effort to fall asleep at a specific time every night may seem like possibly the hardest thing to do but once you internalise this and make it a habit, your body will be the one telling you when it’s time to go to bed. Even though following this to the T may not be feasible most of the time, it’s best to keep an 80/20 rule when it comes to following this diligently (or nearly diligently).
Me Time Is Not Just ‘Free Time’
Sleep procrastination and the twisted concept of ‘me time’ go hand in hand. Just because you have free time, doesn’t mean you’re doing all you can to make this time about ‘you’. Mindless scrolling on Instagram does not count as ‘me time’. Being mindfully focussed on yourself through the day includes being disconnected from the digital world and focussing on the real one, giving yourself an hour a day to practise something you love, or spending quality time trying to assess your feelings and state of mind. Me time could be as simple as extending your night routine, adding a few more face and sheet masks into the mix, but it can have a profound impact on your sleep schedule.
Say ‘Buh-Bye’ To Restless Routines
Having a restful routine throughout the day can make a world of a difference to your anxiety just before you go to bed. A calming and relaxed routine (specifically when it’s just a few hours before you need to hit the sack) not only guarantees that you’ll fall asleep faster but also ensures a restful slumber. Being anxious and restless just before bed can contribute to sleep procrastination and prove to be detrimental to your sleep schedule (and equally importantly, your skin).
Sleep Debt Is So Overrated
Inconsistent sleep patterns and consistent late nights can have effects on your body that go far beyond dull skin. Being chronically self-deprived can be a real buzz kill and one of the hardest habits to eradicate as well. So, it’s always beneficial to nip sleep deprivation in the bud and catch up on hours of sleep missed.
Sleep procrastination may not sound like a very serious issue, but it can creep up on you fairly quickly and suddenly. If you want your skin to remain its plump, glowing, and luscious self, it’s highly advisable to put that phone away and catch up on your ‘beauty sleep’.
Photos: Pexels
