Lack of sleep not only leaves us exhausted and struggling to get through the day but also contributes to an aged look due to puffy eyes and wrinkled skin. It makes sense then that the more sleep we manage, the better we will look and feel the next day. Humans also thrive on routine since our brains use familiar cues to recognise what comes next, so a beauty routine is a great way to make sure that you get a good night’s sleep while treating your body and mind to some self-care. Follow these five simple steps before retiring to bed for a great sleep.
Be Consistent
Since our brains start winding down an hour or two before bedtime, having a consistent routine helps to make the process more effective. Try to start your routine at the same time every night and try to have a set waking time so that your brain knows when it’s time to feel tired. Carry out the same steps in the same order every night to reinforce the pre-sleep cues and avoid anything that will stimulate your brain, such as caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, bright light or loud music.
While you sleep, your body uses the time to restore your energy, form memories, keep your heart healthy and strengthen your immune system. Your body also releases hormones that help reduce stress and boost the production of collagen, both of which improve skin repair. A good night’s sleep contributes toward a healthy body and a healthy mind.
Take a Bath
A luxurious bath is a great way to soothe your body after a long day as well as wash away the bacteria and grime that has accumulated. If you don’t like baths, a shower can be just as relaxing. However, since bathing removes natural oils from our body, we need to avoid spending too much time soaking to ensure our skin doesn’t become subject to dryness, cracking or peeling. Limit your time in the water to about 15 minutes, and make sure the water is not too hot, which can also dry your skin out.
To help with the replenishment of oils, you could add a bath bomb to your water, use a body wash that contains moisturiser or use a moisturiser on your damp skin once you finish washing. Avoid soaps with added perfumes that can cause irritation and body scrubs that harshly affect the skin. Furthermore, when drying yourself, don’t use your towel to rub; instead, gently pat moisture from your skin.
Apply a Facemask and Relax
Although your pores are still open from the steam of the bath or shower, apply a facial mask. For a deep cleanse, use a mud mask which is good for all skin types. For oily skin, use a clay or charcoal mask and for sensitive skin, use a cream, gel or sheet mask that is more hydrating.
Face masks can usually stay on your skin for approximately 15 minutes to give them time to draw impurities out, so use the time to relax. Put on some gentle music, a podcast, an audiobook or a guided meditation and lie down with a slice of cucumber (not too thick and not too thin) over each eye to moisturise your eyelids and reduce laughter lines. Once finished, rinse off the mask with warm water and pat your face dry with a soft towel.
Give Yourself a Facial
Now it’s time to apply a CBD face cream, which typically combines various effective ingredients along with the potential healing properties of CBD for added benefits. During the night, your body works hard to repair and renew skin cells, which is greatly supported by the use of a moisturising cream alongside a massage. A facial massage also helps to reduce some of the tension that has built up in the face muscles over the course of the day and increases blood flow, leaving the skin tighter and glowing.
Start with slow, gentle movements, sweeping upwards from the jawline, outwards from the bridge of the nose, and then outwards from the middle of the forehead towards the temples. Next, use your fingertips to massage the forehead in circular motions, going across the forehead five or six times. Lightly massage the temples for approximately one minute.
Move onto your cheekbones, placing your fingertips at the bridge of your nose and sweeping outwards towards the ears. Do this five or six times, and then drum your fingertips along your cheekbones for 30 seconds. Massage the lower cheeks using the palms of your hands, sweeping upwards from the jawline.
Finish your facial by rubbing an aromatherapy rollerball over your temples. Choose an oil like lavender, chamomile, sandalwood or ylang-ylang that promotes relaxation.
Set the Scene
Try to reserve your bedroom for relaxation and sleeping and set the scene for sleep by keeping clutter to a minimum. Keep the room cool at a temperature of 15-20℃, close your curtains and dim the lighting. Light some scented candles or put on an aromatherapy diffuser to encourage yourself to breathe deeply, melting the tension of the day away.
Although drinking fluids before bed may make you need to get up in the night to pee, dehydration can have a negative impact on your mood, disrupting your sleep cycle. Drinking a warm or hot drink is not only a great bedtime ritual itself, but a tea like chamomile can also help to address insomnia, gastrointestinal and menstrual disorders, inflammation and more.
Avoid using devices that emit blue light – as well as causing eye strain, they reduce the production of melatonin, which is an essential hormone for the regulation of sleep. If you find it relaxing to read before going to sleep, read a book or use an ebook that is switched to Dark Mode.
When it is time to sleep, remember to extinguish your candles or switch off your diffuser and get into bed. Do not do anything else. This way, your brain will start to associate your bed with sleep.
Final Thoughts
A consistent bedtime beauty routine not only helps us to connect better with our circadian rhythm but also supports the natural repair cycle that our skin undertakes while we sleep. Many of us find it difficult to attain the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep every night, but with a bedtime beauty routine like this one, your body and mind will benefit from the self-care, and you should find it easier to get a better night’s sleep.
Also Visit: DELAWARE BPO CALL SCAM: KNOW ABOUT THE SCAM?
