Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to how we look and feel. Just as important as a healthy diet and daily exercise, sleeping well at night positively affects your hormones, brain function, and exercise performance. In short, it isn’t easy to function at your best if you aren’t getting enough sleep.

Lifestyle Changes for a Higher Quality Sleep

The truth is, most people today don’t sleep as much as they should. From our phones to daily stressors, many factors may cause us to lay awake at night. If you’re not sleeping as well as you’d like, there are ways to get better quality sleep. All it takes is a few minor lifestyle and routine changes – like these ones below!

Exposure to Bright Light

Your circadian rhythm is your built-in time-keeper, affecting your hormones, brain, and body, helping you stay awake and knowing when it’s time to sleep. Exposing your body to natural, bright light during the daytime helps keep your circadian rhythm healthy. If you’re currently having sleep issues or want to sleep longer and deeper, try getting at least two hours of bright light exposure daily.

Reduce Your Blue Light Exposure

While it’s best to try and reduce your blue light exposure in general, doing so at night can be instrumental in sleeping well. Electronic devices emit plenty of blue light, which can throw your circadian rhythm off, especially after the sun goes down. Try to put your phone, tablet, or laptop down by 8 pm, and if you can’t, we suggest purchasing glasses that block blue light or download an application that does the same.

Kick the Caffeine

We live in a caffeine-dependent culture, but if you want to sleep well at night, you’ve got to kick caffeine to the curb, at least later in the day. You don’t have to give up your morning cup (or two), but when the afternoon rolls around and you start craving caffeine, drink water, or go for a walk instead. Not only will your skin thank you, but you’ll be able to fall asleep much faster!

Use a Silk Pillowcase

Falling asleep and staying asleep is fantastic, but you also have to add to your sleep quality. Silk pillowcases are soft, and the silky surface prevents them from tugging on your skin, helping prevent wrinkles.

Silk pillowcases also cause less friction against your hair, which means you’ll wake up with less frizz. Sleeping on silk can help preserve a blowout or keep curls intact. Finally, silk pillowcases work wonders for hydrating your skin, as the smooth surface is less likely to pull moisture while you sleep.

Sleeping Well and Your Skin

While sleeping well, and adding a silk pillowcase to your bedding, can have beautiful effects on your skin, adding a routine facial can make a massive difference. To get your best summer skin, follow the tips we’ve mentioned to help you fall and stay asleep, and kick it all up a notch by booking a hydrafacial with Ilona to give your skin a beautiful glow this season!