Beauty Sleep – Benefits and Tips For A Good Night Sleep

‘Sleep is the best meditation’. ~ Dalai Lama

As we already know, getting enough sleep is essential for a healthy body, mind and skin.  Quality sleep allows your body to rejuvenate and helps the skin by reducing inflammation, increasing collagen and antioxidant production.  Here’s what happens when you have a good night sleep:

Reduced Inflammation

When your body absorbs excess simple carbohydrates and refined sugar, your body can react with an increase in inflammation.  The body produces enzymes that breaks down the collagen in your skin.  “Good sleep regulates blood sugar while poor sleep interferes with glucose levels and metabolism rates,” says skin specialist Dr. J. Wu.

Increased Collagen Production

Poor quality sleep increases certain immune hormones and prevents collagen.  As we get older, the production of collagen slows and therefore, sleep is even more essential.  More importantly, reaching the third and fourth stages of sleep is vital for your body to reach repair mode and produce the cells and hormones that boost collagen production.

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Increased Antioxidants

Melatonin, just like human growth hormone (HGH), is mostly known as a dietary supplement, often taken as a sleep aid. However, your body naturally produces the hormone as a way to repair itself, particularly during sleep.  Melatonin is literally produced when your body recognizes darkness.  According to studies, melatonin has been shown to act as an antioxidant, reducing free radicals in the body that cause the skin to show signs of ageing.

Tips For A Good Night’s Sleep

~ Reduce caffeine & sugar intake

~ Maintain a consistent sleep schedule

~ Exercise regularly

~ Avoid eating before sleep

~ Find the right room temperature for sleep

~ Avoid using screens before bed: computers, tablets and smartphones

Best Foods To Eat That May Promote Sleep

Oily fish

such as salmon, tuna, trout and mackerel are incredibly healthy.  They provide high Vitamin D and healthy omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA.   The combination of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D in oily fish have the potential to enhance sleep quality, as both have been shown to increase the production of serotonin, a sleep-promoting brain chemical.

Best Foods To Eat That May Promote Sleep: Oily fish

In one study, men who ate 300 grams of Atlantic salmon three times a week for six months fell asleep about 10 minutes faster than men who ate chicken, beef or pork. Source

This effect was thought to be due to the Vitamin D content of the salmon. Those in the test group had higher levels of Vitamin D, which was linked to a significant improvement in sleep quality. Source

Kiwi Fruit

The sleep-promoting effects of kiwi fruit are thought to be due to their levels of serotonin.

One medium kiwi fruit contains only 50 calories and a significant amount of nutrients, including 117% of your daily needs for Vitamin C and 38% for Vitamin K.  It also contains folate and potassium, as well as several trace minerals.

The sleep-promoting effects of kiwi fruit are thought to be due to their levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that helps regulate your sleep cycle.  It has also been suggested that the antioxidants in kiwi fruit, such as Vitamin C and carotenoids, may be partly responsible for their sleep-promoting effects. This is thought to be due to their role in reducing inflammation. Source

Tart Cherry Juice

Tart cherry juice is also known to promote sleepiness due to its high content of melatonin.

Tart cherry juice has important nutrients including Vitamin A, Vitamin C and magnesium.  It is a rich source of antioxidants, including anthocyanins and flavonols.

Tart cherry juice is also known to promote sleepiness due to its high content of melatonin, and it has even been studied for its role in relieving insomnia. For these reasons, drinking tart cherry juice before bed may improve your sleep quality.

Almonds

are a popular healthy snack as it and provide a good source of many nutrients including phosphorus, magnesium and riboflavin.  Almonds also contain fiber and antioxidants.  It has been claimed that almonds may also help boost sleep quality due to their high levels of magnesium and the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin. 

‘Sleep is the best meditation.’ ~ Dalai Lama