HOW TO MAXIMISE YOUR BEAUTY SLEEP.

Beauty sleep. It’s a real thing, you know? There’s a reason why a long, uninterrupted night’s sleep blesses us with brighter, more radiant looking skin when we wake up - and that’s because our skin repairs itself overnight. Whilst we are sleeping, our bodies use that otherwise dormant energy to replenish our skin cells and keep us looking fresh and fabulous. So, if you ever wondered why the likes of blemishes and dark circles look better after indulging in a couple of extra hours shut eye, then now you know. 

I’m one of those people that really values my sleep. I don’t function or perform as well when my sleep has been interrupted or cut short for whatever reason, and I can 100% see the difference in how I look when I’ve not spent enough time between the sheets, too (sleeping, that is - just to clarify.) 

With this in mind, I thought I’d put pen to paper - fingertips to keyboard, rather - and share my top tips on how to make the most of your beauty sleep. Hitting the hay that little bit earlier than usual boasts a whole host of incredible beauty-boosting benefits. So, if you want to wake up looking bright eyed, bushy-tailed, glowing and generally gorgeous, then you’ve arrived at the perfect place. 

It’s time to talk beauty sleep. 

Some of my favourite night time essentials

Top Tips For Improved Beauty Sleep

1. Avoid caffeine before bed

If you're anything like me, you love a good cuppa. You just can't beat a fresh brew, can you? But it's important to remember that whilst a hot cup of tea may feel soothing to the soul, there's a time and a place to have it - and right before bed really isn't it. 

Caffeinated drinks instantly make us feel more awake, which, just before bed, is the last thing we want. At this time of day we want to be eating and drinking things that will relax us - not rev us back up. Try swapping your usual creamy coffee for a chai latte, instead. I promise you'll fall to sleep quicker than usual, and you'll therefore benefit from extra sleep & extra time for your skin to replenish and repair itself.

I love a frothy latte, but caffeine before bed isn't a good idea!

2. Keep alcoholic drinks to a minimum

Another no-no on the drinks front is of course, alcohol. As I'm pregnant, it's been a long time since I sipped on a flute of fizz before hitting the hay, and whilst I do miss the occasional bevvy, I have to say, on the whole, it hasn't really bothered me too much. A nice glass of vino in the evening can be lovely and relaxing, but alcohol is incredibly dehydrating, which has a major impact on the look & feel of our skin. My advice? Keep the alcohol units to a minimum if you want to look fabulous.

3. Adopt a strong evening skincare routine 

Giving your skin some extra loving before hitting the hay is always going to earn you beauty brownie points. So, if you haven't already, then now is most certainly the time to establish the best evening skincare routine possible and get your complexion looking all polished and perfected. For my top tips, head over to my blog post 'My Evening Skincare Routine.' 

4. Invest in a sleep mask 

If you physically struggle to get to sleep at night because of general restlessness or you find that any light that may enter your bedroom interferes with your ability to get to sleep, then it may be worth investing in a sleep mask. Marc and I always sleep with our black silk sleep masks on these days - just because we find that we get a much better sleep with them on. Uninterrupted sleep is just so important if you really want to maximise your body and skin's repairing abilities. So, if you're determined to maximise your beauty sleep, then a sleep mask is definitely a worthwhile investment.

5. Drink lots of water before bed 

Okay, so I know I've banged on a bit on this front, but honestly, what you drink before you go to sleep (and how much you drink) really does make such a difference. The best thing you can possibly drink before catching those z's is of course, water. Nothing will ever naturally hydrate your skin quite like a few glasses of good old H20, so be sure to get glugging the good stuff before indulging in any shut-eye.

6. Use an overnight skincare treatment 

Intensive overnight skin treatments are such a great idea. Ultimately, they're designed to provide an extra hit of hydration that will plump up the skin and leave it looking super radiant, youthful and healthy. And you know what? You don't actually have to spend an arm and a leg to get those great results. I've used lots of overnight skin serums and oils over the years, but at the moment, I'm completely hooked on the Nivea Q10 Sleeping Melt-In Mask. This product is super affordable, lasts for ages and most importantly of all, it works. Highly recommend.

I love the Nivea Q10 Power Sleeping Melt-In Mask. It's fabulous & so affordable.

7. Turn your phone off 

Scrolling through Instagram for hours before bed is something that we're all guilty of - but what many don't realise is how much this extra screen time negatively impacts our sleep pattern. Actually switching off and relaxing after staring at our phones for long periods of time is incredibly difficult, meaning that on top of morning headaches, we also don't sleep very well, either. Not good for those of us wanting to wake up looking fresh, flawless and fabulous. Want to glow from the moment you get out of bed? It's time to switch your phone off. 

8. Jot down your anxieties before you go to sleep 

If you're anything like me and you suffer from anxiety, it's likely that all your worries will manifest at the end of the day when you finally have a minute to relax. Boom - your mind is in overdrive and your worrying is suddenly completely out of control. Great!

Anxiety isn't fun. Period. However, I do find that by writing my worries/the things that are making me anxious in my diary before I go to sleep, it's much easier for me to switch off from them. Once you physically move the worry from inside of your mind and onto a physical piece of paper, you are almost taking the worry away - even if only temporarily.

9. Freshen up your bedding once a week

Want to get a really good night's sleep and wake up looking like a dream? Be sure to freshen up your bedding once a week. Pillowcases in particular need to be washed regularly in order to prevent any complexion complications...

In short, residue from the evening skincare products we apply to our faces at night time transfer onto our pillows and as a result, after a few days, the pillow cases need to be changed. If we don't change them or freshen them up, we can end up encouraging blemishes, breakouts and more.

10. Use a lavender room spray

And lastly, but by no means least, I can't stress the importance of using lavender spray or lavender essential oil enough. Lavender has been proven to help not only send us to sleep, but to actually enhance the quality of our sleep, too. So, if you struggle to nod off or you tend to find that your sleep is broken up, definitely treat yourself to a lavender pillow spray (FYI: the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray is fab.) Sleeping through and getting in a few extra hours will help prevent eye bags and give your skin extra time to properly replenish and repair itself. Bingo!

And there you have it - my top tips on how to improve your beauty sleep! I really hope that you all enjoyed this blog post & I can't wait to share more with you all very soon.

Lots of love,

Grace x