Sleeping (For) Beauty

“Sleep! sleep! beauty bright, Dreaming o’er the joys of night”
-William Blake

Clearly, William Blake was onto something. I’ve heard that the term ‘beauty sleep’ originated sometime in the mid-19th century, which means a good night’s rest has been linked to looking good for at least a century and a half!  But can a solid eight really make that much of a difference? The experts say yes.

Lack of sleep affects your whole wellbeing — from your skin to your mood, energy levels, and ability to cope with everyday life. You can look older and feel run down. But, if you’re like me, the routine and worries of modern life can sometimes keep you from the land of nod. And, it seems we’re not alone. According to the National Sleep Foundation, about 70 million Americans suffer from insomnia, with women being twice as likely to experience sleep problems then men.

There are the obvious culprits — travel and stress. But you don’t have to cross time zones or have a high-pressure job to have insomnia.  According to sleep experts, your “sleep hygiene” (the practices you have relating to sleep) are just as important.

So, if your ZZZZs need a little encouragement, try a few of these tips. They work for me every time.

• Listen to that little voice from mom and dad - Get up and go to bed the same time every day.

• Make Audrey Hepburn proud and wear an eye mask. Shutting out the world with a satin mask is a great way to quiet your mind and prepare for sleep (it  is also perfectly glamorous).

• Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are all no-nos before bed. They are all stimulants, so they will just keep you up. Alcohol may seem to make you sleepy at first, but it affects the quality of your sleep.

• Take a hot bath (my personal favorite). The drop in body temperature when you get out of the bath will make you sleepy.

• Free the nighttime muse. Keep a journal next to your bed. When those thoughts have you racing, jot down what you are thinking about to help clear your mind. Who knows, you might even be the next William Blake.

Sweet Dreams!

This entry was posted on Monday, September 8th, 2008 at 8:01 pm and is filed under Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.