Does this sound like you?

• Staying up late trying to get “everything done” or vegging and watching screens?
• Then, on top of that, having to get up early to get to work or take care of the kids?

Most people don’t make sleep a priority and it is the first thing that gets compromised when they have too much on their plate. I believe it is so important not to burn the candle at both ends and let stress control your life. How often do you get the recommended 7-9 hours? I’m sure you have heard the phrase “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” That time will come sooner when we don’t prioritize sleep.

So, why does sleep matter when we are talking about skin? Well, sleep is needed for our skin to regenerate, it is necessary for the body to heal and it supports our immune system. Sleep is necessary for our hormones, for detoxification, to fight infections, and many other processes in our body. Plus, over time, chronic poor sleep can contribute to fatigue, increased stress, and reduced attention span.

Not only is sleep important, but rest is great therapy and we need to listen to our body when it tells us to stop. It is not good for us to always just keep pushing through, that increases our cortisol and puts more stress on the body. When we rest, it allows our body to heal more quickly and recover from the effects of stress.

The goal for sleep is to get 8 hours a night. It may seem impossible to just "get more sleep" and it may take some time to make small changes that build up. It is easier for many people to start going to bed 15 minutes earlier and slowly working up their time.

Here are 5 tips to help you get more sleep that is better quality, so that you can move towards healthier skin.

Keep a regular sleep schedule for when you go to bed and when you wake up. By doing so, it helps train your circadian rhythm, which regulates your sleep-wake cycle. In order to have sleep that restores your body in a consistent way, this rhythm needs to be balanced.

Don’t eat within 3 hours of going to bed. People don’t realize this, but your body has to work hard to digest its food and, if you do that, it can’t rest while sleeping and can’t detoxify properly. Your body can either digest or detoxify and can’t do both at the same time. If you go to bed with a belly full of food when your body should be rejuvenating, recovering, and detoxifying, unfortunately, you just put a heavy workload on the body and those things are not going to happen.

Do nothing in the bedroom except sleep and “intimate activities” (that means no TV, reading, working, social media scrolling). Light confuses our brain about whether it is daytime or nighttime. For good sleep, our cortisol levels should be very low. When we are watching or reading something that gets our heart rate up or causes stress, that increases our cortisol level. Now you have 2 things going against you, the light and your cortisol.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol 5 hours before going to bed. Yes, it can affect you this many hours later and affect your ability to sleep.

We need darkness for our body to secrete melatonin and we need melatonin levels to keep rising for good sleep. When your body gets too warm, it doesn't allow for a deep sleep when you are tossing and turning trying to stay cool. Plus, being too warm increases your cortisol. However, sleeping in a room that is too cold can cause the same issues. It's best for the room to be slightly cool, not freezing.

Finding it difficult to get your room just the right temperature, or agreeing with what that temperature is with your partner? Check out the Perfect Sleep Pad.

They use a unique temperature control system that has the option to both heat and to cool, available as a single or dual zone system.  According to the company, “The Perfect Sleep Pad helps in entering a deeper state of sleep, increasing your body’s ability to repair & renew itself, weight loss and reduced night sweats.” This system allows you to sleep at your ideal temperature all night long and it is easy to install. 

Here is the LINK (this is an affiliate link and I do make a small commission with no added charge to you).

Let's get you sleeping so your skin can regenerate, your body can heal and your immune system is supported. I hope you found this helpful.

For more ways to help your skin, check out my FREE eBook

"The 3 Day Jumpstart to Loving Your Skin".  Click the image below.