Beauty Sleep is Possible – 7 Tips for Better Sleep

December 18. 2021

by Teresa S. Neal, PhD

A vital secret to achieve the beauty sleep you need for healthy, beautiful skin is consistent restful sleep. A study published by The Royal Society concluded that even two days of sleep restrictions can impact the attractiveness of a person. People with insufficient sleep are seen as “less attractive, less healthy, and more sleepy.” Lack of sleep can apparently be “detected in the face” causing others to be “less inclined to interact” with that person (Sundelin, 2017).

Okay, so maybe you would love to get better sleep, yet it may seem almost impossible to get all the sleep you need. Maybe you have difficulty falling asleep at night. Perhaps, if you are like me, you fall asleep without too much trouble, but then can’t stay asleep for more than a couple of hours. Maybe you are simply too exhausted to sleep–as ironic as that may sound.

No matter how many hours you manage to sleep, it just doesn’t feel like enough, right?! You fight the alarm clock, maybe hit the snooze button way too often, and just don’t feel ready to start the day. Then you are sleepy and struggling to make it through the second half of the day. You rely far too much on coffee and/or energy drinks.

How can you possibly feel attractive when all the moisturizing creams, foundation, and other make up never seem to quite cover up the wrinkles and dark circles around your eyes? We seem to be constantly searching for remedies for droopy eyelids, dull, aging skin, and wrinkles around our eyes and mouth.

How can you achieve the beauty sleep you need?  

If you are like most of us, you are probably tired of being tired. Stress seems to be an unavoidable part of our lives and a reason we do not sleep as much as our bodies need.

What can you do to fall asleep easily, have more restful sleep, and wake up more refreshed and feeling more attractive? Your sleep issues may be related to low magnesium levels in your body.

Magnesium deficiency impacts your beauty sleep

Lately I have heard many sources recommend magnesium to provide a good night’s sleep. This is especially true for people with restless leg syndrome. While there is evidence to support the value of magnesium as a sleep aid, not all magnesium is equal. For example, magnesium oxide is a stool softener that may actually disturb your sleep. Other types of magnesium can cause diarrhea and various stomach issues. Magnesium stearate causes cancer. From these examples, it is clear that we need to learn to read the labels to be sure we are taking the right kind of magnesium for what we need.

The best type of magnesium for sleep is the magnesium that also helps reduce stress and anxiety: Magnesium L-Threonate.

You can find Magnesium L-Theronate in MagneCALM, a product researched and developed by Dr. Marlisa Hurt, PhD of Brightside Wellness Research.

MagneCALM is the only clinically proven form of magnesium that crosses the blood-brain barrier. With consistent 6-12 week use, clinical studies have shown healthy brain levels of magnesium and improvement in short-term memory.

Trial studies have indicated other benefits as well (Hurt, 2021):

In addition to MagneCALM, Dr. Marlisa recommends concentrated efforts to achieve better sleep. She points out that “If you aren’t getting the SLEEP you need ‘at night,’ your body doesn’t get the time it needs to repair, heal, detox, and use nutrients to upregulate/replenish deficiencies” that you need to live a healthy life. “Your immune system crashes and you start aging faster and skin and eyes sag” (Hurt, 2021).

If that sounds like you, consider putting into practice as many of Dr. Marlisa’s tips as you can. You may need to modify this list to fit your work schedule, but hopefully, you can pick up the main idea of each of these tips.

Tips for better beauty sleep

Morning Sunlight. Dr. Marlisa says to “let your eyeballs see the sun within the first two hours after you wake up” (2021, Hurt). This will help reset your circadian rhythms to realize that day is for activity and night is for sleeping.

A walk in the morning would be perfect. Walk toward the sun, Dr. Marlisa says, without wearing sunglasses (Hurt, 2021). That does not mean to look directly into the sun, just let your face receive the benefits of daylight. If you do not have the time, energy, or motivation to go for a walk, then at least sit in the sun, either on your patio or in a comfy chair where the sunlight shines through a nearby window.

Sunlight helps increase serotonin in your body. Serotonin is an important hormone in our bodies that stabilizes our moods and helps us feel a sense of well-being and happiness. Exercise will also stimulate the serotonin your body produces, so the next tip is to take time for daily exercise.

Daily Exercise.  If you can manage it, a 30-minute walk in the morning, where the sunlight can warm your body, would be ideal.

We all know (even if we don’t always practice) the benefits of daily exercise. Most doctors recommend something along the lines of light- to moderate exercise for at least 20 minutes, preferably five times a week. I remember when I walked early every morning for at least 30 minutes, I achieved an inner peace and feeling of well-being, even during a time of crisis in my life. For those few minutes, I was able to build up enough stamina to make it through the rest of my stressful day.

Optimal Fuel . . . while the sun is shining. This is all about what you eat.

Nutritional intake is essential. That means eating food that is good for your body. Those easy-to-grab foods are probably NOT what your body needs. Avoid sugar, starch, and vegetable oils. These will burn up the magnesium in your system and be a trigger for your cells to store fat. Instead, eat as many fresh (pesticide free) fruits and vegetables as you can. Vegetables not only contain vitamins and minerals to fuel your body but healthy proteins as well. Did you know peas contain some of the highest concentrations of protein?

No eating after dark (approximately 6 pm). Your body needs time to begin digesting your food at least 4 hours before you go to bed.

Take MagneCALM two hours before going to bed (8 pm). It is most effective to take MagneCALM on an empty stomach, so wait 2 hours after eating. If you forget to take it two hours before going to bed, it is still worthwhile to take it during your before-bed routine.

No backlit screens for 2 hours before sleeping. Use this as Human time to allow your food to digest, for wakeful rest, for reconnecting with family and friends, and for reflecting on your day. We’ve all seen the memes and observed firsthand how people rely on their screens so much that they seem to have forgotten how to interact. If this is a weakness for you, try building up more face-to-face human time gradually each week. Friendly connections are important to your social well-being.

When you do use your phone or computer, especially at night, protect your eyes with quality blue light blocking computer glasses. I personally like Felix Gray’s glasses for quality and price.

Create a dark room and be in bed by 10 pm. Most health sources suggest that adults need at least 7 hours of sleep every night. Be consistent. If you want your beauty, you need your sleep!

Beauty sleep is not the only benefit

MagneCALM is designed to help reduce your stress. You will be able to sleep better at night, and it will also improve your daytime energy and thought clarity.

MagneCALM may be taken during the day to help regulate your stress. It is also good for people who are trying to stop smoking. People with addictive personalities can take 2 capsules approximately every 4 hours (you may want to set an alarm on your phone for this) for 4 times during the day. This will help your body produce dopamine and provide you a sense of calm to overcome the nervous habit of craving a cigarette, eating unhealthy snacks, playing too many video games, or responding to other bad habits (Hurt, 2021).

Other ingredients to support your beauty sleep and overall health

Vitamin B6 in P5P form.  Vitamin B6 P5P is essential for our health. It provides us with more energy, both physical and mental energy. It also aids in the formation of memories and improves overall brain health. Serotonin in our bodies could not be produced without adequate B6.

Pyridoxal 5-Phosphate (P5P) is the active form of B6, which is necessary for vital metabolic and biological functions of the liver and development of red blood cells. P5P supports important body functions such as metabolism, muscle growth and repair, regulation of mood and sleep (Hurt, 2021).

Many of us are deficient in B6, especially people who suffer from chronic fatigue. Many of our prescription medications cause B6-depletion, including anti-depressants and birth control pills. You can optimize the B6 P5P in your body as well as overcoming your magnesium deficiency by supplementing your healthy diet with MagneCALM taken daily (Hurt, 2021).

Choline. This is another B-complex vitamin which supports our energy, mood, and brain health.

Just how important choline is for proper development and functioning of our bodies was determined in a study published by The National Institutes for Health (Zeisel, 2008). For babies, choline during the fetal period is vital in the development of the brain and spinal structures. For adults, deprivation of choline leads to organ dysfunction in the liver and muscles.

According to Dr. Marlisa Hurt, “Choline deficiency is marked by lack of focus, inability to relax, poor functioning memory, poor ability to grasp new concepts while learning, chronic aches and pain leading to rheumatic disorders of bones and joints.” Long term deficiency can be even worse with “chronic fatigue, damage to kidneys or liver, and suppressed fat-burning metabolism and/or metabolic dysfunction resulting in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)” (Hurt, 2021).

We can increase our intake of choline through food choices. The best option is whole eggs. (Read the label to be sure the hens were not pumped with antibiotics). Other options include meat, including clean beef, liver, kidneys, chicken, and turkey (again read the labels to be sure the animal was not filled with antibiotics or exposed to pesticides), salmon (preferable wild caught), shiitake mushrooms, cruciferous vegetables (such as cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts), lima and kidney beans, quinoa, and almonds. You can also supplement your choline by taking MagneCALM.

Inositol. Inositol is a healthy carbohydrate that is essential to our production of insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that converts carbs into glucose (blood sugar) which then provides energy for our bodies.

The benefits of Inositol can help with your beauty sleep and daytime focus with the possibility of doing the following (Tinsley, 2018, Sept. 4):

• reduce anxiety by affecting serotonin
• aid blood sugar control by improving insulin sensitivity
• improve fertility in women with PCOS
• reduce symptoms of depression
• be taken safely with few, if any, side effects
• may also support weight loss, blood lipids, and blood pressure

How do you add more inositol into your diet? Eat fiber-rich foods such as beans, brown rice, and sesame seeds. It is also found in organic, grass-fed meat and eggs. My favorites are peas, cabbage, and nuts. To supplement your food intake, inositol is one of the valuable active ingredients in MagneCALM.

An important path on your way to healthy living is taking time to ensure restful beauty sleep. Learn ways to reduce stress in your life; practice eating healthy foods; avoid sugar, starches, and vegetable oils; and take quality supplements that will improve your focus, nourish your brain, and support your cognitive capacity.  Above all, sleep well so you can restore and maintain your beauty, inside and out.

References

Aswell, Sarah. (2020, Aug. 28). “6 Ways to Maximize Your Beauty Sleep,” healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/beauty-sleep.

Hurt, Marlisa, PhD. (2021, Dec. 13). “pHresH functional nutrition,” presented in a Zoom webinar.

Sundelin, Tina, et al. (2017, March 17). “Negative effects of restricted sleep on facial appearance and social appeal,” Royal Science Open Science. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.160918.

Tinsley, Grant, PhD. (2018, Sept. 24). “5 Evidence-based health benefits of inositol,” healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/inositol-benefits.

Zeisel, Steven H. (June 20, 2008). “Choline: Critical role during fetal development and dietary requirements in adults,” PMC US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2441939/.