Getting eight hours sleep has somehow become a serious luxury these days.
What with work stress, relationships, deadlines, bills and life in general, a round of shut-eye for six hours is considered absolutely fantastic.
The holiday season doesn’t really help out self-induced insomnia issues, with people flitting from this party to that party downing bubbly, so by the time Christmas dinner avec the family comes around, one might look a little…haggard.
There are ways help yourself fresh and perky — just follow my lead.
Invest in a vaporizer. These handy little gadgets help keep your skin moisturized throughout the night, but the best thing to get into a deeper state of REM is to add a little lavender oil. Follow your nose into the greatest sleep ever.
Don’t go to bed too full or too hungry. Like Goldilocks, try to get it just right. Avoid caffeine and alcohol pre-sleep because both dehydrate the body, decreasing quality of sleep because you end up getting up parched in the middle of the night. If you must eat before bed, tuck in things with tryptophan (think: yogurt, milk, turkey, soy bean and — yes! — ice cream).
Get your sleeping position in order. Try not to sleep on your stomach! I’m notoriously bad for that and currently working on it. The optimal position is mid-line — this means your head and neck are fairly straight. Make sure your pillow isn’t too flat or too high, either, if you want to avoid aches and pains in the neck area.
Exercise, exercise, exercise. Bedtime is when the body takes the time to repair, recover and restore the body, so it there’s nothing to do either one, you’ve set yourself up for off-balance sleep quality.
The way I see it, a full night’s rest is a necessity — not a luxury — so make getting good zzzzz’s a big priority.
Besides, think of how much less concealer you’ll be using on those dark under eye circles…
