A night-time routine for the perfect beauty sleep
- 28th June 2021 -
#culture
It wasn’t called beauty sleep on the fly. An indulgent night’s sleep is the most essential component of any self-care routine – and yet it is often the most overlooked.
While scientists continue to investigate exactly why we sleep, it is proven beyond question that quality sleep is at the centre of holistic wellbeing. Getting your famous 8 hours in has an astronomical effect on everything from mood, stress management and energy levels, to a strong immune system and weight management.
But when it comes to drifting off into dreamland, sometimes it can feel like an absolute nightmare. We have curated a simple but sweet night-time routine to help you drift into a deep sleep and wake up feeling revitalised, bright eyed and bushy tailed.
1. Start Simple...
The smallest things in a night-time routine have the biggest effect. To get the most out of your evenings, ensure you have these essential habits down packed;
- Stick to a sleep schedule. Setting a specific time to go to bed and wake up each day re-enforces your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle .
- Eliminate screens at least 30 minutes before bed. Blue light supresses the release of melatonin and reduce the amount of time spent in slow-wave and rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep . To get the best possible shut eye, use the bedtime setting to avoid the temptation of relentless notifications.
- Keep coffee to the morning. Relying on a mid-afternoon pick-me up coffee feels good at the time, but it might just be the devil in disguise when it comes to getting to sleep. Caffeine acts as a stimulant and takes 3-5 hours to process half of the dose- the remainder is eliminated over time . To allow your body to relax and rewind in the evening, opt for herbal teas or decaf after lunch.
2. Meditate
There’s no limit to the powers of meditation in enhancing one’s mental and physical health. By allowing some mental space from the hustle and bustle of reality, meditation quietens and relaxes the mind. Meditation is shown to increase melatonin and serotonin, the hormones related to sleep and happiness respectively, reduce heart rate, and activate parts of the brain responsible for sleep .
3. Listen to a sleep frequency
If you like the idea of meditation but often fall off track with your practice, try listening to binaural beats and watch yourself fall in love (and asleep). Binaural beats are shown to mirror the brainwave patterns found in meditation and deep sleep . Sleep frequencies begin below 1hz and ascend to around 7hz , lulling the mind into a sleep state when listened to through headphones. If you find conventional headphones uncomfortable or finicky in bed, technology such as SleepPhones might be your magic pill. Headphones in the form of a luxuriously comfortable headband, they allow for an immersive, comfortable listening experience designed to carry you into a quality sleep.
4. Flow
Release all that no longer serves you with a peaceful yoga flow before bed. Pop on a soft, yoga playlist and try a relaxing flow. Child’s pose, happy baby and Savasana are beautiful centring exercises to bring you back to the present moment and lower anxiety levels before sleep. If you desire tuition and soothing cues for your evening flow, try Yoga with Adriene or Boho Beautiful’s sleep routines.
SleepPhones are the world’s most comfortable headphones, designed to sing you to sleep more comfortably than any other headphones on the market. The luxuriously soft headband sits smoothly and comfortably over your ears, freeing you from the discomfort of conventional headphones in bed. Fully padded, they are made to create ultimate comfort even for side sleepers. Removable speakers within the headband can connect to your audio device, allowing you to fall asleep to any meditation, audiobook, podcast or playlist. SleepPhones NZ offer free shipping within NZ, a 1 year warranty and a 30 day return policy.
Sleep tight and enjoy x
