PILLOW TALK
You can achieve a lot with your eyes closed but, asks Megan Bedford, what do you do when you can’t drift off?
In an age when it seems there’s no limit to the treatments, products and potions that can enhance our appearance, it’s easy to forget that sometimes the simplest things have the biggest impact. Like getting enough sleep. It’s the time when our body repairs and renews, and enough hours completely at rest can lead to more effective cell repair and regeneration (read: brighter, more youthful and refreshed-looking skin), not to mention mental clarity and happiness. But simple doesn’t always mean easy. If you’re just leaving Netflix to roll over to the next episode a little too often, the answer to your lost hours of slumber is obvious. But if you have trouble falling and staying asleep, the above is probably enough to keep you awake even longer — anxiety is a persistent, selfperpetuating beast and the cause of plenty of lost z’s, particularly the worry you’re still awake when your alarm is due to sound in five hours… three hours... two hours...
Not something you can just ‘add to cart’ or apply topically, in these noisy, busy, challenging times, is sleep now the ultimate in luxury beauty treatments?
GOODNIGHT GOALS “A good night’s sleep is one that leaves you feeling refreshed and ready to go in the morning.” This according to sleep expert Dr Alex Bartle, founder of NZ sleep medicine clinics Sleep Well. While many world leaders and even celebrities claim the reason for their productivity is the ability to get by with much less, Bartle says we should be aiming for at least seven hours of sleep a night. “Seven to eight hours sleep is adequate for most people. Some need more and some need less, but almost nobody gets away with less than six hours sleep on a regular basis.”
Indeed, the impact of less on our health, appearance and social relationships can be marked. As well as stress, risk of weight gain, depression and disease, there’s the increase in fine lines, red eyes and dark circles. A 2013 clinical trial funded by Estée Lauder — among other studies — proved that poor sleepers had increased signs of skin ageing (compared with those who got adequate sleep) and had slower recovery from environmental stressors, such as disruption to the skin barrier, or UV damage.
WHAT IMPACTS OUR SLEEP? It might be easier to define what doesn’t, such are the myriad influences at work. A packed schedule, a busy mind, emotional stress, and stimulants like caffeine all play a part.
A glass of wine before bed can help with feeling relaxed, but brace yourself — according to the internationally recognised National Sleep Foundation (NSF), your quality of sleep won’t be as good, with REM sleep (the restorative type) inhibited, and wake-ups more frequent.
Checking your Instagram or tomorrow’s schedule won’t help either — if the content itself isn’t enough to stimulate your mind, blue light from screens is proven to activate the gland that makes melatonin, a hormone responsible for regulating natural sleep rhythms that control when you feel sleepy and when you wake.
More serious ongoing sleep issues are those that don’t improve after you’ve addressed the above. Dr Bartle says chronic insomnia affects approximately 15 percent of adults. He defines it as “inadequate length or quantity of sleep with difficulty falling asleep, difficulty returning to
sleep, or waking too early.” Some people also sleep relatively well but wake feeling tired. Very often health issues such as sleep apnoea or periodic limb movement disorder are to blame.
SNOOZE LIKE A PRO
Those hardcore sleeping pills you picked up over the counter in the US can help on occasion, but when you’re out, you’re out of luck. “For specific situations, sleeping pills can be extremely helpful,” confirms Dr Bartle. “It is the ongoing reliance that is the concern. Whether it’s a prescribed sleeping pill or some over-thecounter remedy, it is the pill, tablet or medication that becomes your ‘confidence’ in being able to sleep, rather than being able to sleep without some external support.”
Instead, good ‘sleep hygiene’ can be the key to waking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. A quiet, dark and cool (15-19°C, says the NSF) bedroom is ideal, with breathable, natural fibres for linen and sleepwear. Nix caffeine from early afternoon and get some exercise each day if you can.
Yoga teacher, naturopath and former triathlete Erin O’Hara advocates reducing stressors that can leave you in an anxious fight-or-flight state, and creating a relaxing bedtime routine.
“Take a bath or shower, have herbal tea like chamomile, or sleep tea, dim your lights, do a breathing or meditation practice before bed, or read in bed before sleeping. It’s best to get to bed before 10pm and avoid bright lights and electronic devices for one to two hours before bed.”
And if you wake? “Stay in bed and practise some deep diaphragmatic breathing or read a book. Avoid the temptation to go on electronic devices or turn the TV on, and keep the lights dimmed.” Clock-watching is also out. Set your alarm and then place it somewhere you can’t see it.
In terms of bed times, concentrate instead on improving ‘sleep efficiency’, says Dr Bartle.
“That is the amount of time you are asleep while in bed. Initially this may mean reducing the time in bed so you become confident in being able to go to bed and sleep. Then you can increase the time in bed until you reach a time that ensures you wake and feel refreshed.”
Aromatherapy is also proven to help, with lavender a star player. Matakana Botanicals recently developed a bodycare line designed to help enhance sleep, addressing customers’ desires to extend the abilities of the brand’s portable, concentrated Sniff Boxes. Owner Danvers Devereux says the unique combination of natural scents is key to the range’s success. He suggests layering products so the aroma stays with you as you sleep.
“Our aromatherapist Mary Wakefield says we have three ‘light switches’ in our head we can help turn off with aromatherapy. Lavender will turn one off, but you require chamomile and neroli to turn the others off too.
“Many just love the aroma, but as we carried out further research we became aware of the importance to ‘layer’ our sleep products to maximise the effect for a relaxing night’s sleep. You can breathe in the Sleep Sniff Box but also lightly spray the Pillow Mist, which will remain on your pillow for longer.”
Natural supplementation is also recommended by Erin, who helps her clients rebalance their lives and deal with health challenges in a more natural manner. “A 5-HTP supplement can be helpful to rebalance the serotonin levels and the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) to regulate sleep quality and melatonin production to stay asleep for longer,” she says. She also suggests considering plant-derived options such as valerian, tart cherry, passion flower, kava or a magnesium supplement that can help with relaxing your muscles.
Still wide awake hour after hour? It’s time to seek help. Your GP or a sleep medicine expert will likely recommend cognitive behavioural therapy, which looks at the patterns and behaviours that could be preventing you from nodding off when you need to.
BEAUTY SLEEP
In order to encourage the skin’s ability to heal and regenerate, experts are increasingly developing products designed to apply before bed — working their magic while you slumber. At rest your temperature and blood flow increases, which can help with absorption of active ingredients. Vitamin A derivatives such as retinol also make your skin sensitive and are less effective in daylight, so they need to be applied at night. For something that works hard while you rest, we like the nourishing, yet lightweight texture of sleeping masks — gel-feel products applied before bed and rinsed away as you cleanse in the morning.
“It’s best to get to bed before 10pm and avoid bright lights and electronic devices for one to two hours before bed.”