Beauty Sleep Is Real – 5 Tips To Better Beauty Sleep

*Disclosure: I am an official brand ambassador for Nature’s Sleep and am provided products to try out and give them my honest opinion.

You’ve heard the old adage, “You better get your beauty sleep.” and probably thought it was a good ole’ fashioned myth. But scientific studies show that getting seven to eight hours of beauty sleep is a must and is the truth! The same goes for oversleeping ten to eleven hours – it’s equal to lack of sleep, so sleeping seven to eight hours is just right. The great news is that beauty sleep is FREE and you can start as soon as tonight! Studies show that lack of sleep causes blood vessels to dilate, causing the look of dark circles. Not to mention lack of sleeping causing stress, tension, and emotional highs and lows. Those feelings tend to transfer to the way you look – making you look tired, sad, angry, and much older than you really are. Lack of sleep is not a good look on any of us.

The reasons behind the beauty sleep concept is that your skin and your whole body needs that rest to go into repair mode. While you sleep, your skin literally renews itself and these new skin cells begin to grow and replace older cells. Sleep creates a complete repair, restore, and rebalance process that doesn’t cost you a dime (including hormonal and metabolic changes that your body needs to prepare for the next day). And beauty sleep goes skin deep – chronic sleep problems are linked to hypertension, depression, and heart disease (among several other health complications. Don’t let your lack of sleep disrupt those life altering processes and get your sleep patterns back on track!

To help you get your sleep patterns back on track for better beauty sleep, here are five tips to help you along the way…

Tip #1: Take a hot shower or bath
When you take a hot shower or bath two hours before bed, it will calm and relax your body, preparing your for sleep. Some people experience more stimulation after a shower or bath, so you may want to test this one out to see how you feel.

Tip #2: Avoid snacks with grains and sugars before bed
Snacks raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep right before bed, and when your stomach is full, it makes your digestive system work harder and keep you awake at night.

Tip #3: Create a sleep routine
Consistency is key when it comes to a good night’s sleep. If possible, try to go to bed around the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. Develop a sleep routine plan that will encourage relaxation and be consistent about it every night.

Tip #4: Set a bedtime schedule
Now that we know sleeping seven to eight hours each night is optimum for you looking and feeling your best, adhere to a set bedtime. We pack so much into our days that our heads hit the pillows later and later each night. Set a bedtime stick to it. Once you get your body into a routine, you’ll be able to establish good sleeping habits. For example, I know that I need to be up at 5:30am every morning to get the kids ready for their day, so I need to sleep no later than 10:30pm (preferably at 9:30pm) each night.

Tip #5: A cozy bed (and bedroom) is key
My master retreat is my favorite room in the house, and the king-size bed I sleep on goes hand and hand with it. It’s comfy, it’s cozy, and it’s calm. The three main things we all need for a night of pure beauty sleep. Be sure your bedroom lighting it soft, eliminate excess noise, and keep room temperatures comfortable (I like to keep mine around 78 degrees).

Speaking of cozy beds – Nature’s Sleep has made our nights amazing, and I honestly don’t know where they’ve been all my life. I recently had the opportunity to review the Nature’s Sleep Faux Down Pillow and it seriously felt like I was resting my head on a fluffy cloud! If you haven’t read my review yet, you can read all about it here! I just started sleeping on one of their memory foam mattresses, and can read all about my experience here. You can browse their selection Nature’s Sleep products to see which one is right for you. P.S. – Use coupon code BEARS50 to get 50% off plus FREE SHIPPING for a limited time! Watch for the #NSAmbassador hashtag on social media to see what TheItMom thinks of Nature’s Sleep products!

*HOT DEAL ALERT*
From October 1, 2013 until November 1, 2013 customers will receive 60% off of the new Nature’s Sleep gel pillow. Please note: the offer is valid in the continental US only. As always, this deal includes free shipping!

*Disclosure: I am an official brand ambassador for Nature’s Sleep and am provided products to try out and give them my honest opinion.