Beauty Sleep....

Is beauty sleep a myth? We all know the stories of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, frozen in their beauty and youth while in deep slumber. Nowadays we are lucky to get around 6 hours of sleep. Between school, work, friends, dating, gym and about 100 other activities or functions we cram in a week what person has time to really sleep. I’m constantly wishing there was 26 hours in the day just so I could have two more hours for everything and sleep. I absolutely love sleep and really need to work on rekindling that affair. I have many friends who are just like me and those of us that adore sleep are also the ones that are told we look much younger then we are. For me I feel I’m most beautiful the mornings I wake up with a clean face and well rested. So is there some truth to beauty sleep that keeps us youthful and stunning? I did a little research to back up my affection and to motivate me to be a much better girlfriend to sleep.

Early in the night time sleep cycle, people typically have a surge in growth hormones. During this period of deep sleep there is a release of growth hormones that help repair and rebuild body tissues like muscle and bone. Many of the body’s cells also show increased production and reduced breakdown of proteins, which are the building blocks needed for cell growth and repairs damage from factors like stress and ultraviolet rays.

Activity in parts of the brain are drastically reduce during sleep that control emotions, decision-making processes, and social interactions, suggesting that quality sleep may help people maintain optimal emotional and social functioning while you are awake.

Some cosmetic products are susceptible to sunlight and you consequently get more out of them if you use them before bed. Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E will stay active on your skin longer if you apply them at night. Also with going to sleep with a clean face this is allowing your skin to breath and repair. With all of us wanting breaks in life why not be fair and give your face one too.

What happens when you don’t get proper sleep? Lack of and poor quality sleep negatively affects the body by increasing body fat percentage and the risk of chronic diseases "yickes!".

After just reading a handful of the perks of being well rested and few of the very undesirable down sides of being to busy for sleep, I am officially scheduling my sleep in better. With so many positives why not take an extra hour out of our ridiculously overbooked days to rest and reap the free benefits of “beauty sleep”.