Sleeping Beauties :
Catching enough shut-eye? If your answer is "no," your lack of sleep can contribute to AGING!
Fatigue causes the stress hormone cortisol to spike....and too much cortisol is one of the "four pillars of aging".... (along with an excess of insulin, free radicals, and blood glucose. Read more about the four pillars of aging
here.)
Sleep rejuvenates our minds and our bodies, and good sleep is essential to good health, so make sure you are getting plenty of Zzzzzz's....
And sheezzzzzz, it's not only HOW much sleep we are getting, but HOW we are sleeping that can affect looking older!
We've ALL had one of those restless nights where we wake up, check the mirror and say:
Goooood Mornin' Rip Van WRINKLE!
If you constantly sleep on one side of your face, or sleep on your stomach every single night, night after night, you can get lines or even stretch out your skin ... and side-sleeping not only affects your face - it also, over time, makes your neck and chest sag !
It's what I like to call "FACE SMOOSHING SYNDROME"... or FSS.
Why does FSS cause wrinkles? One, two, three - it's the REPETITION of hitting the sheets hard night after night that causes those lines to get deeper and deeper... resulting in the "mechanical" or some say "compression" wrinkle. Plus, if you are stressin' it up, getting chased by The Boogey Man, or solving night-time algorithms, your face just might furrow in your sleep too! Yeouch!
Math Geeks - listen up: let's say you are 40 and the average person sleeps 1/3 of their lives... That means you've already slept 13.333 YEARS.....and if you're sleeping the same way on the side of your face or stomach... that's 13 + years of pillow grooves! Not the good kind of grooves....
So what should we do? Anyone? Bueller?
Well, prevention is key. Here are a few tips...
Hit The Sack On Your Back
The best thing to do is to train yourself to sleep on your back.
Easier said than done...but the back position helps to prevent "pillow thrashing" and will help improve your air flow. Make a conscious effort to at least start off slumber this way, paying special attention to relax all of your facial muscles. Need more support? Push the pillow under your knees.
Talk Pillows
You can get an "anti-aging" pillow like this one :
Anti Wrinkle Beauty Pillow - Ivory
!
These special U-shaped pillows support your head, elevate your face and provide proper support for the neck, shoulders and back. Some of them are filled with nice smellies too, to make you feel like you are sleeping on a bed of roses.
Tape it Up
Plaster up that wrinkle so it can't move, babe! My fave is Frownies
. Now, I've seen some readers search for "how to make your own Frownies with duct tape."..... okay, this is just wrong wrong wrong! Do you want that toxic adhesive gunk going into your skin? Your best bet is to use Frownies, or to try to re-train your facial muscles consciously.
Try Nights in White Satin
A satin pillowcase will do wonders to help smooth out the tossy turnies...and won't tangle up your hair as much as a cotton case. No WONDER I always have bed-head...
Ahhhh, silky..... Shop Satin Luxury Standard Satin Pillowcase with Hidden Zipper, Champagne
Play Pillow Toss
You can loose the pillow underneath your head entirely and just use one underneath your knees for back support.
Move Over, Statue of Liberty....
If you just CAN'T stop rubbing your face all over your pillow, at least get this:
CupronTM Cosmetic Skin Appearance-Enhancing Satin Pillowcase
.
It's a pillowcase that contains copper in the fabric that claims to soften your wrinkles!
Now, copper peptides are great for your skin - they help stimulate collagen production, have an anti-bacterial component and can help heal wounds. Better than rubbing your face on your copper piping... that could cause some serious face squishies.
Anyone try this? PLEASE, let me know!
You TOO can prevent Face Smooshing Syndrome!
Here's to counting sheep,
not sleep lines --
And be on the look-out for an upcoming post with 20 tips to help you get all the winks you can!
Yawny Talk,
The Anti-Aging Analyst