We all know that sleep is super important for looking our best. (They didn’t call her Sleeping Beauty for nothing, amirite?) But, at the same time, we could all look a little better for longer if we optimized our skincare while we sleep. Take, for instance, the following tips:
1.)Â Try to use 1 pillow, unless you have puffy eyes.
Look, I would sleep on 6 pillows if I could. But it’s also not great for your skin: At night, muscles relax and become fatigued, and the skin begins to sag and droop. It’s better for most people to keep their face and neck aligned — and succumbing less to the forces of gravity overnight.
In addition, pulse and blood pressure drop at night, causing less blood to pump into the face. If you’re too elevated, that exacerbates this effect. It’s best to keep the face and neck in line to maximize what is already a reduced amount of circulation.
Of course, if you have puffy undereyes, there’s almost nothing better than drinking a full glass of water and going to sleep on 2-3 pillows. Not kidding.
2.) Use your most concentrated skincare products at night.
Your basal body temperature is elevated at night, so it’s a great time to apply skincare products. Also another reason why spa owners and aestheticians love saunas so much  – they help the skin cells really drink up the ingredients!
3.) Stop drinking alcohol within 2-3 hours of going to sleep at night.
Alcohol causes the blood vessels to dilate and makes you retain water. The combination makes it even harder for skin to repair itself — and leaves you with a puffy, bloated face come morning. Best to stick to water within 2-3 hours of bedtime!
4.) Use a specialized sleep pillow or a silk pillowcase.
Dermatologists and aestheticians can actually tell which side of your face you sleep on based on your facial wrinkles. It’s best to use a pillow like The Pilookie or a pillowcase made from a material like silk that won’t smash your face.
5.) Beware of the new sleep masks.
I’m not going to win any new advertisers by saying this, but so be it: You want for your skin to breathe at night. Unless you have dry or very dry skin, you don’t want to overload your skin with occlusive agents like petrolatum, mineral oil, or lanolin, all of which sleep masks tend to be rich in. Instead, you want to go for things like skincare that is custom for your skin type in texture and that includes high concentrations of scientifically-proven ingredients.
Got questions? Let me know!
Like my sleep mask? Buy it here: [easyazon_link identifier=”B00I00N9SC” locale=”US” tag=”cosmeticswiki-20″]Bella Il Fiore Goodnight Gorgeous Sleep Mask[/easyazon_link]