the beauty sleep secrets used by movie stars who want ...€¦ · your quicker to move, and learn...

The Beauty Sleep Secrets Used By Movie Stars Who Want Perfect Skin

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While doing research for another book I read a ton of articles about sleep and its

effect on the body. Many of those articles and posts I bookmarked, took notes

from, copied, and saved.

Before my research I never knew just how important sleep was not only for

maintaining clarity and focus of mind, but also on our physical appearance.

A good night sleep can help you look younger by:

Reducing the number of face wrinkles

Provide you with a glowing complexion

Brighter, less puffy eyes

Reduce acne

Prevents premature aging

Your quicker to move, and learn

You boost your “youth” hormones.

You stay fitter and have a healthier appearance.

And more!

And I read that many of the most beautiful movie stars who don’t want plastic

surgery swear by a good night’s sleep. Penelope Cruz apparently gets 14 hours a

night, while many other actors and actresses like George Clooney, Catherine Zeta

Jones, Renee Zelwegger, Ryan Gosling, Anna Friel, Diane Kruger, Jennifer Aniston,

Naomi Watts, Ben Affleck Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Mariah Carey and more

swear it keeps them beautiful.

Jennifer Lopez also says that sleep is her number one beauty secret. Here’s what

she had to say about it: “Sleep is my weapon. I try to get eight hours a night. I

think what works best is sleep, water—and a good cleanser."

Here’s a clip from an article I read in The Daily Mail that featured commentary

from Geoff Wright, Director of The Hair And Beauty Partnership in London (a clinic

which specializes in analyzing scalp and skin problems):

“Chronic lack of sleep, or poor-quality sleep, has an incredibly negative

effect on the way we feel - and on the way we look.


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When we are asleep, our cells rebuild and repair themselves (the growth

hormone functions only at night). If you don't sleep, this function is

impaired.

If you sleep badly, you are likely to become stressed, and this can cause the

capillaries to tighten up, affecting the flow of nutrients to the skin and scalp

and causing the skin and hair to look dull.”

As I said before, I had NO idea that sleep was this important to how I looked. I

was really shocked when I read this.

But that’s not all. I used to use a face cream at night because I was told that

night-creams can work wonders repairing your skin. Turns out, that’s not the

case.

Here’s another clip from The Daily Mail article:

“Cellular renewal of our skin is fastest at night, and this is why we are told

night-creams can work wonders.

But the fact is, nothing will help our looks if we don't get the quality of sleep

we need.

However good a beauty product might be, the effect will be negated if we

have endless late nights, or poor-quality, interrupted sleep.”

That doesn’t mean they don’t work at all. In fact, if you improve your sleep,

night-creams can actually work well.

Cosmetologist Colette Haydon says: 'Applying night-cream just before bed

means your skin will get the most benefit when the absorption of nutrients

is at its peak.

'Your cream should be nourishing, but not thick and rich. You can gauge if it

is the right consistency by feeling your skin 15 minutes after application -

you should still be able to feel the 'slip of the cream, but not otherwise be

aware of it.'

A cream that is too rich and clogging can cut the skin's oxygen supply,

contributing to poor micro-circulation and puffiness, particularly around the

eyes.


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Night-creams or rich serums containing anti-ageing compounds to repair

and firm the skin can be particularly effective.

Oh, and you also lose more weight by sleeping more.

Here’s an excerpt from an article written by Shelby Freedman Harris Psy.D. for the

website YouBeauty.com:

“… At least 24 research studies have been conducted looking at the sleep-

more-weigh-less phenomenon, with aa study by the University of Chicago in

2010 getting a lot of notice. In their program, researchers followed 10

overweight adults for a period of two, two-week intervals. In the first two-

week series, participants were observed in the laboratory and encouraged

to obtain 8.5 hours of sleep per night. They were all placed on a balanced

diet with very mild calorie restriction. Daytime hours were spent doing

activities similar to that of what the participants usually did at home. In the

second two-week interval, participants were kept on the same diet, but

limited to 5.5 hours of sleep each night. Researchers found that when sleep-

deprived, participants consumed more carbohydrates and calorie-dense

food for energy. Although the groups lost the same amount of weight

overall, the well-rested group lost dramatically more fat (ideal) whereas the

sleep-deprived group lost more muscle mass (not ideal).”

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Ok. Got it. Sleep is good. Not sleeping is bad.

So, how do you get more and BETTER sleep?

Here are 10 “move star” beauty sleep tips you

can implement that will help you sleep better

each night so you look and feel healthier.

1. Sleep on your back.

Dr. Neal Schultz M.D. and co-author of “It’s Not Just About Wrinkles: A Park

Avenue Dermatologist’s Program for Beautiful Skin—in Just Four Minutes a Day”

says “If you sleep on your side or front, rather than your back, it’s like you’re


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folding over your skin—except it’s sustained pressure. It’s breaking the collagen,

which can give you wrinkles and make your skin look saggy.”

Also, Cosmetologist Colette Haydon says “If you sleep face-down the blood vessels

will become constricted and the circulatory system releases congested fluid from

tiny flaps in the walls of these vessels.”

The answer is to train yourself to sleep on your back. You also “puffy eyes” by

making sure your head is raised well above your body in bed. I usually keep two

pillows under my head when I sleep. Also, I asked my husband to help me roll

back over onto my back in the middle of the night if he happens to wake up and

see that I’ve rolled over.

It’s not easy to train yourself to sleep this way, but it can be done. And I have

seen a difference in how I look since doing it.

2. Reduce morning puffiness by increasing the oxygen in your bedroom.

No, you don’t have to buy an oxygen tank or anything crazy like that. The

easiest way is to turn off the heating to make sure the room isn’t too warm and

open a window. Now, if it’s winter time you may not be able to turn OFF the

heating and open a window. What I do is turn the heat down just a bit and put

some heavier blankets on our beds. This way the heat runs less and we actually

save a bit of money on utilities.

3. Have a glass or two of Tart Cherry Juice.

Here’s an excerpt from Prevention.com to explain why:

“Older adults suffering from insomnia who drank 8 ounces of tart cherry

juice twice daily slept 85 minutes longer compared to a placebo, found a

small preliminary study from Louisiana State University. The fruit is a rich

source of melatonin, a sleep-regulating hormone, as well as antioxidants

that control zzz-zaping inflammation. If the taste is too intense, mix with

sparkling water.”

4. Go to bed at the same time each night. And get up at the same time each

morning.


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Creating a regular sleep-wake rhythm can greatly increase the quality of your

sleep.

5. Make sure the bedroom is dark.

Any light in the room can disrupt your sleep. Disruptions can dramatically reduce

the quality of the sleep you get.

6. No tea, coffee or chocolate (contains caffeine) before you go to bed.

7. Try meditation, deep breathing, or tensing and relaxing different groups of

muscles around your body.

I LOVE doing this before bedtime. I don’t often have the time to full-on meditate,

but I do try and do some deep breathing and tensing and relaxing muscles. For

deep breathing I inhale through my nose for 7 seconds, hold the breath in for 4

seconds, and then exhale for 8 seconds. I usually do this routine 5 or 6 times. It

really helps to relax you!

8. When you take a bedtime bath, add some aroma-therapy oils to the water.

Try oils like ylang ylang, neroli, lavender, roman chamomile, vetiver, bergamont,

sandalwood, cedarwood, or marjoram.

9. A better mattress.

Getting the right mattress for you is very important. My husband and I bought a

new mattress recently and it’s made a HUGE difference in how well I sleep.

Seriously, the first night I slept on my new mattress I slept longer and deeper than

I had in years.

If you’re not sure which mattress is right for you test it out and pay attention to

your heels, the back of your head and your buttocks. They should all sink just

below the surface. The backs of your knees, the hollow of your back, and your

neck should rest on the surface of the mattress.

10. Don’t exercise immediately before going to bed.

You need to be in a relaxed state to get a good night’s sleep, and exercising does

the opposite.


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These are the 10 things I’ve done to improve my quality of sleep. And they’ve

worked! I feel better and my husband says I look younger and seem more

energetic.

Getting better sleep is crucial to improving your life. Once you get your toddler

sleeping through the night then you need to take the time and focus on yourself.

Improve your sleep and you’ll improve your life!

Speaking of improving your life, here are…

14 easy lifestyle changes you can make that

will help turn back the clock and make you

look younger.

I found these on the website Health.com. You can read more by visiting the

website here: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20884216,00.html/view-

all

… and yes, I am doing all of these (a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do )

1. Skip the heat styling

2. Apply spf every day.

3. Use lotion on your hands

3. Avoid foods that stain your teeth

4. Paint your nails

5. Exercise regularly (I usually take a 30-60 minute walk every morning … I’m not

much for hard core exercise).

6. Watch your sodium intake.

7. Keep your smartphone addiction under control (this was a tough one for me!)

8. Rinse with mouthwash daily

9. Eat high-protein foods

10. Take care of wet hair

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20884216,00.html/view-all

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20884216,00.html/view-all


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11. Eat your greens

13. Handle your stress head-on

14. Get enough sleep (yes, it’s VERY important!)

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