Optimise Your Shut-EyeThe best sleeping position for your skin
We know sleep and beauty go hand-in-hand. “Sleep is a great time for cellular repair and regeneration - we don’t have to contend with pollution, UV and the consumption of calories, all of which generate free radicals and contribute to the appearance of ageing skin over time,” shares London dermatologist Dr. Sam Bunting.
Since you spend a third of your life in bed it’s worth trying to get the most out of your beauty sleep - and one of the best habits you could change is your sleeping position.
“When we lie down we lose the benefit of gravity. So, if we’re carrying excess fluid, such as too much salt in the diet, it can collect in compartments of our soft tissues. The eye area is especially prone to this because of the large number of blood vessels sitting in the thin delicate tissue, which causes a piggy-eyed look. If we then lie face down or on our side, the pressure effect will exacerbate this fluid collection even further,” explains Dr. Bunting.
Unfortunately, sleeping on your stomach or side can also create sleep wrinkles. “The main cause of sleep lines is not in fact the wrong bedding fabric, but instead the force of the human head, which typically weighs around 5kg, pressing against our delicate facial skin for 6-8 hours every night. These can be very hard to treat. By trying to sleep on your back, it’s preventable as no pressure is applied to the skin.”
The Surprising Mistakes That Can Add Up To Bad Beauty Sleep
Beauty sleep techniques aside, getting to sleep in the first place can be a problem for many. “There are many things that can disturb sleep. A lot of them are obvious, such as noise and light, but some are not as well appreciated,” explains sleep expert Dr. Neil Stanley. To help, Dr. Stanley shares the three unexpected factors that are disrupting your shut-eye - and how to fix them, pronto.
The Wrong Room Temperature
“In order to get a restful night you actually need to lose 1℃ of body temperature. Make sure your bedroom is cool (approximately 16-18℃ is thought optimal) to create a temperature gradient to facilitate the heat loss.”
A Bed That’s Too Small
“For a bed to be comfortable enough for two adults to sleep in it needs to be at least 180cm wide, which is roughly king size. Any less, and you actually will have less space to sleep in than your child.”
A Restless Sleep Partner
“Much of sleep disturbance is caused by partners moving or making noise when they sleep. Separate beds or even separate bedrooms can be a solution, or if that's not an option, try a mattress with a different level of tension on each side to accommodate two different sleepers.”