20 Tips for Falling Asleep

Hey Freshie Face --

They call it "beauty" sleep for a reason.....sleep is a time when our cells renew and our bodies re-energize.  "Gettin' your Eight" will help you feel and look great!

Ok, but what if Mister Sandman is avoiding you like the plague?   Studies show that when we age, we have a harder time falling asleep.

Seem to be in a sleep slump?  Here are some practical sleep tips for you...

1* Ditch the Dummy Tube 

Make the bedroom a TV-Free zone,  or don't watch it before bedtime.  It will distract and stimulate you.  Especially when you are trying to solve puzzles on Wheel of Fortune....mom......


2* White it Out

Fans?  Not the adoring kind, the noisy kind.  Fans create a "white noise" to help you block out unwanted noise like traffic.  Okay, now you can put the TV back into your bedroom, if you don't watch a channel and just listen to the static.....

Or, you can buy a white noise generating machine to help you drift off into a static-free bliss:

 

You can even get a white-noise app on your iPhone.  You are soooo high tech!
























3*  Center Square For the Block, Please

Use blinds or an eye mask to block out light.  Keeping it dark will "invite" sleep.


4*  "Goldie Locks" Your Mattress

Make sure you're in love with your mattress!  Take some time to find one that's "just right" for
you.  Invest.  You'll be in bed for a good portion of your life.  Need to brush up on your mattress types?  Click here.

OR, you can always keep what you've got (as long as it's not over 10 years old) and cheat it with a super-comfy "topper."

















5* No Snoopy Snuggles

You love your doggie or kittie - but you don't want them interrupting your precious sleep.  You don't have to a pull a whole "Dino" on them and throw them out of the house, just give them their own little sleeping space, and an extra hug in the A.M.  You may just breathe better too.


6*  Too Cool For School

Temperatures above 75 and below 55 will wreak havoc on your sleep, so when you are chill-axin', try to keep it relatively cool, dig ?


7*  Fight Footie Frustration

Sometimes, it's the little things .... like cold little piggies!  Wear a comfy pair of fuzzy socks for warm and toasty toes.  Something that won't pinch your ankles, leaving that ugly red mark and making your piggies want to run away from home! 


8*  Get Down

Feather pillows have less allergins than synthetic ones....easier on the nose and the last thing you need is your nose keeping you up at night.















Still having probs sleeping?

9*  Get More Down

Try natural herbs such as Valerian root, or a Chamomile tea to relax before bedtime.  Some recommend Melatonin.  Alteril is a combo of all natural ingredients like  L-Tryptophan (yummmm, Turkey Day!) and Valerian Root Extract and Chamomile.  Unless you want to be a sleep-zombie that doesn't remember things the next day, I'd say PASS on the Ambien.

Murad has a new product that promotes sleep AND skin repair at the same time.  I'm down with that:

Sleep Reform Dietary Supplement This patent-pending formula encourages the on-set of sleep while improving the depth and duration to support skin's cellular repair cycle. Sleep Reform Dietary Supplement accelerates the skin's repair cycle by enhancing and optimizing sleep while supporting increased collagen production and cellular renewal to restore youthful strength and appearance.*Additional features and ingredients:;; Melatonin promotes a deep, restful sleep Repair Enhancing Matrix; encourages muscle relaxation to maximize the body's ability to repair and regenerate Glucosamine and B-vitamins supports overall health*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

10*   Schedule it UP

Go to bed at the same time every night.  Your body will get used to it....before you know it, you'll be getting up at the same time too.   You can even have a nice relaxation ritual every evening at the same time, to tell your body to "wind down." 


11*  I Said "Wheel Watcher," not "Clock Watcher"

It's 2 am.   Oh, no, now, it's 2:01....Best to just not SEE the clock and obsess over it.  It causes stress and stimulates the brain.  Probably just as much as buying a vowel from Vanna.  Oh, and did you know your plug-in digital alarm clock may also emit harmful electro-magnetic fields?  You don't want those near your noggin.  So keep clear of the clock.




12*  RIY - Relax It Yourself

Try a lovely relaxation CD with meditation exercises, or you can opt for a CD of soothing ocean waves,  whale calls, or even give self-hypnosis a try.  VISUALIZE all of your muscles relaxing, your mind slooowing down and you are getting sleeeeeepy.....you are completely relaxed....DOH!  Not now, of course...there's more blog reading to do!


13*  Coffee and Booze, Anyone?

Ain't gonna help, so definitely cut these out if you can't sleep.  Oh, this also applies to caffeine in general....and Snickers Bars, M&M's, ho-ho's, Twix, Kit-Kats, etc.


14*  B's Equal Zzz's

"B" sure to get your vitamin B.  The B vitamins help your body deal with stress and can help prevent insomnia.  Magnesium is also a go-to vitamin that can help induce sleep.

If you are stressed, go hardcore with a turbocharged B-Complex like this:

Vitamin B Complex: Nutrients for stress control-Functionalab A comprehensive collection of all the essential B vitamins and nutrients.*

15* My Girl Likes to Potty All The Time

All those bathroom trips preventing you from getting a good night's rest?  Try cutting off your water intake around dinnertime.  Then, you'll BE number 1, as opposed to having to GO number 1.


16*  Sudz it Up (No, Not Beer)

Ahhh, to sit in the bubble tub.  Warm baths (as opposed to showers) are muy relaxing!  Where's my rubber duckie?

Try your bath with this relaxing bath bomb from LUSH and sleep like a babe:

Golden Slumbers Bath Bomb Remember how it felt to sleep like a baby? Neither did we before trying Golden Slumbers; now there's a way to get back home, to sleep that is. Stress melts away in waves of lavender sprigs, lavender oil and lavender absolute. Trying to keep your eyes open after a Golden Slumbers bath is a feat; you're better just to give in and go off to bed.

17*  Jumping Jax...

just not right before bed -- THAT is just going to keep you up.  The National Sleep Foundation sleep experts recommend exercising at least three hours before bedtime, and the best time is usually late afternoon.


18* Spring for The Sheets

It COULD be your low-thread count sheets making you scratchy wacky tossy-turny.  Go for a higher thread count, many times on sale with tiny irregularities at stores like Ross.  I was surprized to find out they go above 1,000 thread count and are pretty reasonably priced !
















19* Z is For Zeo


Can't figure out WHY you're not catching enough Z's?  Get a Zeo!  Not "Zeno" - that one is for acne.

Zeo is a personal sleep coach.  You wear the Zeo headband when you sleep.  It has sensors on it that measure your sleep patterns through the electrical signals naturally produced by the brain.  It actually will give you a "score" of your sleep in quanity and quality.

You get a bedside display of your sleep and can upload your sleep info to the myZeo Personal Coaching website, and spot trends in your sleep that you have never been able to see before. You get an on-line journal and a guided self-discovery process for your sleep, too!  If you've tried all else and like solving mysteries, Zeo is for you!

















20*  Call in the Pro's

Who Ya Gonna Call?  Insomnia Busters!   That'd be cool, but not really... If you're sleep-slump is severe, you can get poked and prodded at sleep clinic or sleep lab.  Many insurance programs will cover it - just bring your jammies, as you'll be spending the night !  (I hear lots of times there's a waiting list, so don't expect an immediate appointment.)

The National Sleep Foundation is a great resource to find a sleep professional or get more info on more serious sleep disorders.


One Sheep, Two Sheep, Three Sheep....

~The Anti-Age Girl

Lose the Laser and Go Au Naturale...And Get a Free Mini-Facial !

Comfortably, yet oddly nestled in between a Guess store and The Wild Pair (yep, they STILL have that store!) my sore eyes spotted an understated powerhouse of beauty:

Origins!

I bee-lined it in and like a good analyst, immediately started asking questions....

What's new at Origins?

They are giving away a free, "no-purchase necessary" mini facial!  You get:

- A personalized skincare consultation
- A gentle exfoliation
- A facial mask for your specific needs
- and a free sample of whatever product you choose

Whats the big deal?  The Origins line consists of therapeutic plants, 100% natural essential oils and certified organic ingredients.  They've positioned themselves as "Nature's Alternative to Lasers, Injections and Nips and Tucks."  And that's the PLANTS delivering those results of brightening, firming and line reducing, with no downtime or side effects.

So, break away!  It's a perfect time for you to slough off some of the fall dull-drums and try some pure plant based products !

The Origins BRIGHTER BY NATURE line (the alternative to lasers) has a peel, serum and moisturizer to fade dark spots and create a luminous glow.  Chemical peels give great results - but they can leave your skin red and sometimes flaky.  Oh, and did I mention they HURT LIKE HECK!!?   (Ahh, the burn......) The Brighter By Nature peel with fruit acids delivers the smoothness and radiance of a 30% glycolic peel without the redness or side affects of a chemical peel.  Ingredients are blueberry, goji berry and grape seed extract.

The serum gave my skin an instant glow-kick.  The moisturizer is a little thicker and has an SPF of 35.  The key ingredient in this gem is Palmaria, which works to help restore clarity and brightness for those dark spots.  Sooo going on my holiday wish list.

Give it about 4 weeks to start seeing the fading with some very noticeable changes in 8 weeks.

The YOUTHTOPIA line (the alternative to nips and tucks) contains a Siberian herb called Rhodiola, which is for firming.  This line promises great results - firmer, younger looking skin in about 7 weeks.  Not for the faint-hearted when it comes to smells ... this line has a very "earthy" fragrance (that's the "PC" way of saying it).

But don't let Peppie LaPue bring you down:  You can still rock pretty crazy-amazing results with this line -- check out this jowl-line lift after 7 weeks using Youthtopia serum ($60.00) !!

The STARTING OVER line (the painless alternative to injectables) has Mimosa, Argan Leaf and Green Algae.  9 out of 10 tested prefered it over injections.  Mimosa was originally used to sooth and to help heal burns.  It also is a collagen stimulator.

You WILL need an appointment for your free mini-facial.  Just go to origins.com to find a location  near you, then book it, Dano !    And you can check out these and other great Origins products here:

Ain't nature nice?

The Benefits of Pumpkin

Scary Face.  Happy Face.  Good-For-Your Face.

What's that?

Your Halloween Jack-O-Lantern!

You carved it.   You toasted it.  You made soup or even a pumpkin pie....okay, no, you didn't.  It just sat it's lonely ol' face outside your porch night after October night.  Still....

before you 86 your Halloween pumpkin, you might want to save a scoop for your face.

Pumpkin has scary levels of zinc (a great home-remedy for acne), vitamin C (anti-oxidant) and beta-carotene.  It  can help to nourish your face and slough off those dead or zombie skin cells.

Here are a few home-made treats for you:

Home-Made Pumpkin Mask

You want to cube the inner pumpkin (not the rind) and cook it up....give it a few whirls in the blender.

Whisk together about 1/4 cup of pumpkin and one egg (or blender it).

Add a few tbs of honey.

Add a splash of milk -- or great trick:  use whipping cream if you have drier skin.

To combo it up, you can also add coconut oil, or even pineapple.

 Leave it on your face for 15-20 minutes.


Spice it Up Body Scrub-Treat

1/2 cup pureed cooked pumpkin

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

All you have to do here is  combine all these ingredients in a bowl.  Then apply with a damp washcloth while in the shower and rinse.

You don't have to lie in wait at the pumpkin patch for the perfect pumpkin - pumpkin puree from a can will work too!  Couldn't be easier!

If you'd rather have your treats ready to go, you can try one of these ready-made pumpkin faves that should last you year-round:

Pumpkin Enzyme Peel (3.3 oz.) This revitalizing peel uses pumpkin enzymes to digest and exfoliate dead skin cells and surface impurities, resulting in a pure, smooth and radiant complexion. It detoxifies congested skin and banishes rough skin textures for an even, healthy appearance. Anti-aging antioxidants neutralize free radicals, sodium hyaluronate deeply hydrates and vitamin A protects and softens the skin. Ideal for all skin types.

Pumpkin.

All Treat.  No Trick.