How To Get Better Beauty Sleep

Your shortcut to improved shut-eye

Sleep is a fundamental part of our mental, emotional and physical health – and believe it or not, ‘beauty sleep’ isn’t a myth. According to sleep experiments, getting enough hours of shut-eye does actually improve your overall wellbeing, including the way we look. It’s not just dark circles, either – your skin and body regenerates and repairs while you’re asleep, which means the less you get, the more susceptible you’ll be to such lasting effects as decreased glow, even increased sagging and wrinkles.

It’s recommended that you get at least 7 to 9 hours per night, but it’s not always as easy as hopping into bed and hoping for the best. Many of us struggle with achieving a deep, solid sleep, so in line with World Sleep Day this Friday 19 March, we’re sharing a few of our best tips to help send you into a better slumber from tonight.

Create a relaxing bedtime ritual

Start signalling to your body that it’s time to wind down by cultivating a tranquil evening routine that you follow before bedtime each night. You can incorporate a number of quiet activities that can gradually begin to calm your mind and body, which means you’ll experience a more restful sleep thereafter. Try journaling, lighting a candle with a cosy scent, and enjoying a cup of WelleCo’s Sleep Welle Calming Tea. The blend of hops, valerian, lemon balm, passionflower and skullcap help soothe the mind and encourage sleep, and as a bonus? You can also sip it during the day to ease stress.

Limit your screen time

You’ve probably heard all the expert opinions proclaiming the dangers of falling asleep in front of the television. Yes, it’s  tough to put down your phone when your WhatsApp group is debriefing on the latest Netflix drama, but science doesn’t lie – exposure to blue light from your devices will disrupt your natural sleeping patterns. So if you’re scrolling Instagram before bedtime and subsequently experiencing a restless night, it might be time to re-evaluate your evening habits. Swap screen time for a good book or invest in a meditation app to help ease the transition into sleep.

Adjust the temperature

We’ve all experienced the discomfort that comes with feeling too hold or cold after we’ve gotten into bed, but even the subtlest of temperature shifts could help to improve your sleep. Make sure that your blankets are chosen to address your personal sleep preferences– if you’re a little cold, do you need something that will help to insulate warmth? Or, if you run hot, perhaps bedding of a lighter construction could be beneficial. You’ll also want to check in on your air conditioning or heating controls, as an excess of either could result in broken sleep. Play around with the temperature of your bedroom and bedding until you find the most comfortable setting.

Try some soothing stretches

If your body can’t seem to relax before bed, spend time on some gentle stretches that will trick your tired limbs into slumber. There are a number of great routines you can follow, whether on a dedicated app or even on YouTube – just make sure you do it at least an hour before bed, or note down the exercises and complete them sans-screen so that you don’t undo all your wind-down work with blue light.