Here at LoveBrownSugar, we talk alot about how to look good and feel good about yourself. From the clothes you wear to how you style your hair and the lipstick you put on before you walk out the door (MAC Ruby Woo anyone?). One thing people often neglect in the quest for perfecting their looks is how important getting the proper rest really is. During National Sleep Awareness Week (March 2nd – 9th), the National Sleep Foundation released a slew of new information about how many people are truly neglecting to get the proper rest.
Sleep is the one beauty ritual you can’t buy at a store and you can’t borrow from your best friend.
It is something that is SO important to our health and outer beauty but is often neglected. You know how it goes. We just have to get “one more thing” done, or talk on the phone just 30 more minutes, or watch one more rerun of Scandal. All the while, we’re sacrificing the one thing that will keep us looking good and feeling good for life – proper rest!
This didn’t become as apparent to me until last month when I was invited by the Febreze™ team to Cincinatti, Ohio for P&G’s first annual Sleep Conference. Yup, the same reaction you have right now is the one I had upon first reading the invitation. It’s a conference about…sleep? Who knew the topic of sleep was important enough to create an entire conference about it? Well, it is.
Upon arriving, our rooms at the 21 c Museum Hotel were gracefully blessed with P&G products that all help with sleep enhancement. Everything from Febreze™ Sleep Serenity bedside diffusers to ZZzQuil™ pills and a lavender-scented Snuggie pre-treated with the new Sweet Dreams collection from Tide, Downy and Bounce.
They even gave us a sleep mask, a sleeping CD with soft soothing sounds and a noise canceling machine. Needless to say, I slept like a BABY that night. I was only 2 weeks in with taking care of BabyBrownSugar and super sleep-deprived so the conference came at the perfect time.
The next day we participated in an informative conference about the importance of a good night’s rest. There were representatives from the National Sleep Foundation that gave us sleep tips and information. Brand representatives from P&G talked about the products being released to help consumers get better rest. All in all, my greatest takeaways from those 2 days in Cincinatti were that sleep is necessary for beauty, preventing aging (better than an anti-aging cream!), for functioning at your optimal potential, and for your emotional stability. Below find 5 quick tips for getting a better night’s rest which will in turn make you a better and more beautiful you:
1. Set the environment: You want to create a sleep environment that is conducive to restful sleep. Scent is very closely related to brain function. This prompted the creation of products like the Febreze™ Sleep Serenity collection with scents like lavender, jasmine and milk & honey. With products like the Febreze Sleep Serenity Bedside Diffusers (my favorite is the Lavender..ahhh) and washing your linens with products from the Sweet Dreams collection (i.e Bounce, Downy, and Tide), you’ll be on your way to better sleep in no time.
2. Remove distractions: You’re obsessed with social media and TV and all things high-stimuli. I get it, I’m the same way. But once it’s time for bed, the phone, Instagram notifications, the television and everything else meant to stimulate your mind needs to go off. The less distractions you have in the bedroom, the more likely you’ll be able to sleep deeply, which is what your body needs.
3. Create a ritual: Representatives from the National Sleep Foundation stressed that establishing a bedtime routine helps you sleep much better. Try going to bed and waking up consistently around the same time. Include sleep cues for yourself like the start of soft music and dim lighting. Consistency is the key to getting great sleep.
4. Make sure you’re comfortable: Ladies, this may shock you, but even your cycle can have an effect on getting good sleep. Hormonal shifts and even discomfort from wearing improper sanitary pads can leave you with less Zzzs overnight. The folks at Always created their new Overnight Extra Heavy Flow line of pads specifically to remedy this. The 3-way leakage protection works to keep you drier and more comfortable, laddering up to a better night’s sleep.
5. Make sleep a priority: Everyone has that one friend they know they can’t call past 10PM unless it’s an emergency. Why? Because they’re asleep! Some of us simply can’t function without the proper rest. I’m a night owl so I’m guilty of it too but just because you don’t “feel” tired doesn’t mean your body doesn’t need rest.
You’ll live longer, happier and more beautifully when you get the proper shut-eye! So what about you – are you sleeping enough?
Hotel accommodations and transportation to and from Cincinatti for the P&G Sleep Conference were provided by Febreze™. All opinions expressed herein are my own and not those of the company.
I have remove the TV from my bedroom because, I read somewhere about electronics disturbing sleep. Actually, it is a fung shui thing which I also am incorporating into my bedroom.
Yes we learned that too! TV’s, computers, all types of gadgets should be left outside of the bedroom as they don’t promote good sleep.