Read these tips to make sure your nightly routine works for you!
Cleanse
It’s super important to wash your face before bed, and please take off your makeup before going to sleep! The consequences of leaving your makeup on while you sleep are so, so terrible. Firstly, who likes to wake up with their eyes sealed shut with mascara and eyeliner that has turned goopy? Secondly, is there anything worse than having irritated eyes in the morning when the thought of light already has you cringing and running back to the comfort of your bed? Finally, left-on makeup harms your skin and clogs your pores. So, do yourself a favour and take off your makeup before going to bed. Believe me, your skin will thank you for this.
Try a night cream/treatment
Your skin is predominantly repairing itself overnight. This is because your body isn’t busy doing anything else, such as digesting food, etc. Sleep reduces cortisol, the stress hormone responsible for thinning skin and discolouration, and it also increases melatonin, which acts to fight age spots and fine lines. Night creams, treatments, serums, etc., are all formulated to capitalize on the restorative powers of sleep for your skin. Therefore, they are built to ensure that your skin will looks its best in the morning.
Try incorporating a night-time product into your routine before bed! Considering that it’s winter and Ottawa feels like the arctic, you may be finding that your skin continues to feel extremely dry. Try a moisturizing night cream like The Body Shop’s Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream or Overnight Serum-in-Oil to reduce the irritation, feeling, and appearance of dryness.
Exercise
It has been shown in a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation that an overwhelming majority of people who exercised at any time of the day reported sleeping better than those who didn’t exercise at all. It has been thought that exercising close to bed prevents good quality sleep due to an increase in heart rate and adrenaline; however, studies have shown that for most people, exercising close to bedtime doesn’t appear to affect sleep quality in the slightest.
So, why not throw a nightly exercise into your bedroom routine? This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to start lifting heavy weights before going to sleep, it could be as easy as doing some late night stretching or yoga.
Light a Candle
I mean honestly, how soothing is a candle? The calming effects of a candle will help put you into a relaxed mood and make falling asleep so much easier. Besides, coziness pretty much guarantees a better sleep.
Upgrade Your Bedding
Did you know that the type of sheets you sleep on can affect you? In fact, it’s most beneficial for your hair to sleep on silk pillow cases. This way, it will reduce frizz and make your morning beauty routine much faster as you won’t have to deal with outrageous bedhead.
In addition to reduced bedhead, a silk pillow case can help with your skin as well. Your face is in contact with your pillowcase probably more than any other surface. So, it’s important to make sure that you have a good pillowcase. A silk pillowcase will help keep moisture close to your skin and maintain natural moisture.
Sleep well collegiettes! Let us know your favourite tips in the comments.