Sleeping Beauty

TRY IT
Age-Defying Night Crème
Described as the company’s “ultimate antioxidant daily moisturizer that combines the two most powerful antioxidants,” Derma e’s Age-Defying Night Crème helps normalize skin, enhance the activity of defensive cells, smooth fine lines and wrinkles, and protect against environmental stressors. Get a free sample! The first 15 individuals to e-mail derma e will receive a free sample of Age-Defying Night Crème. Send your e-mails to info@dermae.com.

Did You Know?
Approximately one-third of our lives are spent sleeping. The average adult sleeps seven to eight-and-half hours per night, but we require less sleep as we get older.

Getting your beauty sleep is more important than ever. The need for sleep affects how you feel, but it has just as big of an impact on how you look.

“There is no better beauty treatment than a night of rest and recuperation,” says William Meller, MD, author of Evolution Rx. “We all look our best when we are rested. We can go to bed with a backache, sore feet, tired eyes, and a host of worries, and when we wake up in the morning, we feel better. This is real rejuvenation.”

For a good night’s sleep, Meller encourages people to change their thoughts about sleep and to develop new sleep patterns.

“The idea that people can and should sleep eight uninterrupted hours a night is a modern myth. If we know it’s natural to awaken several times a night, we don’t have to suffer anxiety when we do. Often, it’s the fretting about not sleeping that keeps us awake. Many people think they can or should get by on six or seven hours of sleep a night. Modern science and evolutionary evidence suggest we are built to sleep nine hours a day-but not all at once and not all at night.”

If you have the opportunity to nap during the day, even for just 20 minutes, Meller suggests you do it-just limit it to 90 minutes to avoid waking up groggy or tapping into your nighttime sleep.

According to recent reports in Medical News Today, sleep deprivation actually speeds up physical aging. The state of deep sleep activates growth hormones that restore skin’s elasticity, helping smooth wrinkles and strengthen hair and nails.

Because your skin absorbs moisture and nutrients best at night, that’s the ideal time to load up on serums and creams packed with vitamins and antioxidants. Some of these overnight beautifiers actually multitask and help induce a solid night’s sleep.

If you have trouble winding down, you might get more shut-eye with personal care products that contain sleep-enhancing aromatherapy from natural essential oils. Studies indicate that certain aromas may promote sounder sleep, enhance dreaming, and improve awareness the following day.

Electroencephalogram tests at the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago indicate that lavender increases alpha-wave activity in the brain and helps induce sleep. Studies also show that vanilla helps people fall asleep quicker and promotes faster movement into the REM or dream state.

In addition, research at the Society for Psychophysiological Research found that sleepers in jasmine-scented rooms enjoyed better quality sleep and morning-after alertness than those who slept in an unscented room.

From youth-restoring serums and creams to aromatherapy, our beds are the new spas. Sweet dreams!

Product Examples (left to right)

Kiss My Face Potent & Pure Intensive Repair Night Crème repairs skin with hibiscus, basil, fennel, and organic sunflower oil.
Derma E Age-Defying Night Crème combines the antioxidants astaxanthin and Pycnogenol to help refine and firm skin while guarding against future damage.
Jason Sleepytime Hand & Body Lotion is a lush lotion that calms and soothes with a blend of chamomile, hawthorn berries, and blackberry leaves, along with dreamy essences of spearmint and lemongrass.
Dr. Hauschka Moor Lavender Body Oil, with lavender essential oil and moor extract, provides comfort, protection, and a sense of well-being.