The modern lifestyle can push stressors onto us that have huge effects on different areas of our daily routines.
These stressors can impact on our sleeping patterns meaning that we may not be getting exactly what we need to keep ourselves as healthy as possible.
WHY IS SLEEP SO IMPORTANT?
Sleep is as important for your health as regular exercise and a balanced diet. In fact, during sleep your body heals itself and restores chemical balance. Yet it is something that a lot of us can often neglect. It’s vital that you try and learn the importance of sleep and the effects it can have on your body, skin, and mental health in particular.
The list of benefits that ensue after a good night’s sleep goes on and on. But here are some of the most prominent factors that show why you shouldn’t take sleep for granted:
- Improved concentration and productivity.
- Lower risk of heart disease.
- Can help to prevent depression.
- Stronger immune system.
WHAT IMPACT CAN LACK OF SLEEP HAVE ON YOU AND YOUR BODY?
You are probably familiar with the irritable moods and fatigue that can follow a bad night’s sleep. But the truth is that there are a number of ways that lack of sleep can disrupt your health.
Memory Issues
Whilst you are asleep, your brain has the ability to form connections that can help you to process and retain new information. A lack of sleep can hinder this ability and negatively impact both your short and long term memory.
Mood Swings
Tiredness can be the answer to negative moods, and can lead to becoming quick tempered and emotional. If you suffer from chronic sleep deprivation then these moods can quickly lead to feelings such as anxiety or depression.
Risk of Diabetes
Lack of sleep can affect your body’s release of insulin - a blood sugar lowering hormone. Those who struggle to get enough sleep tend to have higher blood sugar levels and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Dull Skin
When you miss out on sleep, or don’t get as much as you need, your cortisol levels can increase. Cortisol triggers inflammation which then breaks down proteins found in the skin. These proteins are often what keeps skin ‘glowing’, meaning that increased cortisol levels can lead to dull skin.
Dry Skin
If you are experiencing lower levels of sleep then you may be experiencing a skin imbalance. Lack of sleep leads to your lower PH levels in the skin - causing an imbalance. This can cause the skin to stop producing the amount of moisture needed to hydrate the skin, eventually leading to drier skin.
Renew, detoxify and deeply hydrate your skin while you sleep with NEW Nightly Renew Facial Cream
Eyes
Most of us are used to frantically trying to fix dark under eye circles or puffiness after a late night but do you know why this happens? When you’re tired your blood vessels increase in size leading to more prominent dark circles. Not getting enough sleep can also result in poor water balance leading to the appearance of ‘puffy’ eyes.
Ageing
Sleep deprivation directly applies stress onto your body. This can change the quantity and integrity of collagen in your skin. Collagen is important for the elasticity of your skin, so when this is broken down the skin can show more noticeable signs of ageing by becoming thinner and losing firmness.
HOW TO HELP
The recommended amount of sleep is between 7-9 hours per night. This may be hard to achieve for some, so Laura has compiled some helpful tips to help you reach your full sleeping potential!
Why not try turning your phone off an hour before bed? Blue light exposure can prevent the release of melatonin, the sleep hormone. This can either stop you getting to sleep or in some cases may stop you from having a restful night. By turning off your phone an hour or two before you go to sleep you are limiting your blue light exposure, which might be the answer to you getting a peaceful night.
Take a break from the daily news. We are surrounded by news stories on our phones, televisions and papers, and quite often these can be deemed as difficult or upsetting. These stories could trigger our flight or fight responses. These responses are designed to keep us alert in case we potentially have to evade a dangerous situation, meaning it could cause us to sleep more lightly. Maybe you could try avoiding the news for an hour or so before bedtime and instead focus on more relaxing activities such as reading.
In some cases, people are sensitive to electromagnetic frequencies that can come from phones or other electronic devices. If you believe that this could be the case for you then try to set these devices to airplane mode before bed and charge them away from your body. You could also try adding a grounding sheet to your bed that plugs into the earth socket of your plug. This will help to reduce these impacts on your body.
Overall, perhaps the best advice is to make sure you’re comfy! Before you sleep make sure to rearrange your pillows, blankets or whatever you need to feel comfortable throughout the night. This will also be a good opportunity to make sure your room is at the right temperature. Between 18-20 degrees celsius is deemed to be the best temperature for a good night’s sleep, so if that means opening a window slightly or adding a throw onto your bed to adjust then go for it!
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU
Our new Nightly Renew Facial Cream and limited edition Tranquility Essence Pillow Spray are must haves to help you create a relaxing and calming environment in your home, renew and detoxify your skin while you sleep and help improve your sleep naturally.
We have created an EXCLUSIVE nighttime ritual to help you to take time to relax. Our skincare ritual is designed to renew, plump and detoxify your skin whilst reducing stress and inducing relaxation for a good night’s sleep.
"The Nightly Renew Facial Ritual creates an almost hypnotic state of mind, encouraging a release of trapped energy and allows the body to begin to heal from the inside out. This massage technique reduces stress and induces relaxation as well as rebalancing the body’s natural rhythms." Gemma, Evolve facial expert
Our Nightly Renew Facial Ritual Kit contains all the products you need to create the ritual. It contains:
Gentle Cleansing Melt (120ml)
A luxurious water-free balm cleanser that gently cleanses and nourishes.
Hyaluronic Serum 200 (10ml)
An oil-free hydrating gel serum that hydrates and plumps your skin from within.
Nightly Renew Facial Cream (60ml)
This rich and nourishing night cream is designed to detoxify the skin as we sleep whilst smoothing and plumping up fine lines and wrinkles. Not only does this organic face cream benefit your skin, but the natural fragrance blend has been proven to help you fall asleep more quickly, enhance the quality of sleep and reduce the number of times you wake up, to help you rise feeling and looking refreshed!
Tranquility Essence Pillow Mist (50ml)
Relax and find an oasis of calm with this soothing multi-use spray. We have used a tranquil blend of Lavender, Bergamot, Ylang Ylang and three other essential oils which aids relaxation, helping to ease your nerves and clear your mind from the stresses and strains modern life can place upon it. We love using two sprays onto our pillows around ten minutes before we go to bed, to help us enjoy a peaceful night.
YOUR NIGHTLY SKINCARE RITUAL MASSAGE
We've created a relaxing nighttime skincare ritual massage for you to follow, using all the products in your ritual kit.