Isn’t it the best feeling when you wake up in the morning and realize that your skin looks healthy and supple? Well as it turns out, maintaining both healthy and young-looking skin requires a fair bit of patience and strict adherence to positive nighttime sleep habits.
Failing to take part in the right skincare routine can cause things like fine lines, wrinkles, dark circles, etc., to appear more prominently and make you appear much older than you actually are. Unfortunately, simply following a skincare routine isn’t enough to consistently wake up with glowing skin. So, without further ado, let us have a look at some very effective beauty tips that will ensure you always wake up looking (and feeling) your very best:
#1 Drink Enough Water
Whether it is a parched throat or a filled bladder, the amount of water you drink throughout the day decides how frequent your night sleep disturbances are. It is therefore important to drink plenty of water in the daytime but gradually lower the intake as you start preparing for bedtime.
Dehydration caused by lack of enough water in the body can lead to skin that looks dry, itchy, and pale. The skin may start to lose its natural elasticity and appear dull and unevenly toned. Without enough water, the harmful toxins in the body have a hard time getting washed off.
To ensure healthy skin, drink as much water as you can throughout the day, but lessen your intake as it gets later to limit those nightly potty breaks.
#2 Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol
Caffeinated foods and drinks are a major cause of sleep disruption when taken in the later part of the day. It is interesting to note that most eye creams that are applied on the surface of the skin come with caffeine as a primary ingredient. Thanks to the presence of chlorogenic acids in caffeine, conditions like puffiness and inflammation around the eye contour can be easily treated. That said, you should try to avoid taking caffeinated products like tea, coffee, soda, etc., after sundown as the added stimulation caused by caffeine can interfere with your sleep-wake cycle and may even worsen an acne condition by interfering with the body’s stress hormone called cortisol.
If you are wondering how to look good when you wake up, you may also have to stop drinking alcohol close to bedtime. That frequent urge to pee after having a few drinks is not just the extra alcohol that went into your body. Alcohol is a natural diuretic and may cause extra pressure on your renal system in the night by suppressing vasopressin which is responsible for regulating the amount of water in the body. This squeezing out of fluids from the body may lead to conditions like dehydration that harms not only your skin but other parts of your body as well such as the brain, kidneys, liver, etc.
#3 Moisturize Before Bedtime
One of the nighttime skincare tips that can’t be skipped is moisturizing your skin before sleeping. To make sure your moisturizer is being absorbed into the skin, it’s important to first remove your makeup and then wash your face with a gentle cleanser. This ensures you pores are cleaned of components like dead skin cells, dirt, additional oils, etc. Just make sure you don’t over-wash your face as this can destroy your skin barrier. Some oil on the face is okay as it’s needed to keep the microbiome of your skin healthy.
After you remove your makeup and wash your face, apply your serum(s) and finish it off with a moisturizer. To slow the aging process and to combat wrinkles and dark spots, be sure to pick a moisturizer that’s meant for your skin type. What works for your friend may not work for you.
#4 Remember the Night Eye Cream
Failing to achieve the right quantity and quality of sleep in the night can lead to the formation of dark circles under your eyes. Conditions like fatigue, old age, or exposure to blue light-emitting devices in the night can also invigorate the dark circles. It therefore becomes crucial that you practice healthy tips that help you sleep better while not forgetting to apply a quality eye cream before retiring to bed.
Night eye creams contain components like retinol, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, etc., that allow proper blood circulation and prevent signs of puffiness and dullness. You can also switch to more natural modes of treatment such as applying cold tea bags or including more protein- and antioxidant-rich food in your meals.
#5 Invest in Quality Bedding
We spend about a third of our day in the bed which is why the material of bedding you use can have a lot of impact on the way your skin looks. Try investing in sheets and pillow covers that are made from materials like silk, cotton, satin, etc., which are not only light on your skin but also allow proper air circulation.
Also make sure that the bedding is devoid of any accumulated dust, allergens, dead skin cells, etc., that can come in contact with your skin and lead to conditions like rashes and clogged pores. The best way to avoid this is by changing out your sheets once a week.
#6 Sleeping Position Matters
To ask someone to change their current sleeping position is perhaps one of the hardest things to do. However, the sleeping position that we are going to discuss next is not just favorable for your beauty sleep but also, for your sleep health.
Sleeping with your face down can worsen the fine lines and wrinkles on your face and may even lead to an acne breakout. Sleeping on your back on the other hand ensures that your face has minimum contact with the pillow and sheets. This can prevent the additional pressure from being applied to your skin when you are sleeping on your sides or your stomach. Try to wear your hair up or cover it with a silk nightcap so that it doesn’t come in contact with your face and neck while you are asleep.
Skin that looks dull and prematurely aged reflects poor health. It is therefore crucial to incorporate steps that help you achieve the beauty sleep that you rightly deserve. We hope that the few easy-to-follow tips mentioned above help you better understand how to wake up looking amazing and healthy each and every day.
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*Photos by Polina Tankilevitch
