Sleeping Beauty: Tips for Deeper Sleep

Do you apply anti-aging, oxygenating, and replenishing serums and creams to your face at night, only to get less than the recommended eight hours of sleep? Or perhaps you are resting your weary head on a pillow enriched with aloe or copper? Whatever your nighttime beauty routine is, during deep sleep, you secrete a growth hormone that helps repair and rebuild body tissues. There is also evidence that skin cells regenerate faster at night than during the day. Here are some tips to help you fall asleep faster and deeper for a fresh face the next morning:

• Try to go to bed at the same time every day, even on weekends. This allows our body's natural clock, or circadian rhythm, to initiate and maintain our sleep.
• Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and comfortable.
• Avoid eating or drinking in the few hours before bedtime. Sugar and caffeine are especially disruptive to sleep. If your stomach is growling, drink warm milk, which encourages sleep.
• Exercise, but not too late at night. Regular workouts reduce stress and allow you to sleep deeper. Just don't work out to close to bedtime, as it elevates your heart rate and raises your body temperature, making it difficult to fall asleep.
• Avoid watching TV right before you go to bed. Unwind with relaxation, meditation, or a good book.