HOLISME
Why sleep is so important
Mette SkjærbækSleep is one of the most important factors in our body’s regeneration and healing. When we sleep, the body’s repair mechanisms kick in. This applies both to the body as a whole and, to a significant extent, to the skin as well. Hence the lovely name beauty sleep.
When I had my second child, it was a difficult time in my life. I’d lost my beloved little brother a few months earlier, and baby Milas’s sleep pattern wasn’t good. She woke up many times every night. At the same time, I found it hard to get to bed at a reasonable hour. With children, homework, housework, cooking and a full-time job, my evenings often ran late. And when things finally quietened down, I just wanted a little time to myself. So I went to bed too late, was up far too many times every night, and when the alarm went off at 6 am, it was in an almost nauseating state that I started yet another new day.
After a while, that little ‘natural health’ voice inside me started saying: “Hey, this can’t be healthy!”
And so I started reading about what a lack of (good) sleep does to us, and it makes for frightening reading. If we start by thinking of it as a form of torture, you can almost work out where I’m going with this.
With this article, I hope to inspire you to focus on sleep as one of the most important elements of body respect – and for healthy, beautiful skin. Sleep is so essential for both our physical and mental health. At the same time, it’s also important that it doesn’t become a source of stress in one’s life, whether you’re getting enough sleep. So, as always, it’s all about striking the right balance.
I believe that some of the most important things we can do for a healthy body, are to ensure we drink enough fluids so that the body isn’t stressed by dehydration. And that we get enough sleep so that the body can heal.
How much sleep do you need?
Like everything else, how much sleep we need varies from person to person, and the most important thing you can do is to listen to your body. Do you yawn often during the day? Do you feel sluggish? Do you feel refreshed when you wake up? We often know quite well whether we’re getting enough sleep.
I used to not get the recommended 7–9 hours, but after I learnt why sleep is so important, I now make sure to go to bed in time to get 7 hours. I’d love to get 9 hours, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day.
If you Google “how many hours of sleep do I need”, there’s broad agreement on a table like this one from videnskab.dk:
/ Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
/ Infants (4–11 months): 12–15 hours
/ Toddlers (1–2 years): 11–14 hours
/ Pre-school children (3–5 years): 10–13 hours
/ School-age children (6–13 years): 9–11 hours
/ Teenagers (14–17 years): 8–10 hours
/ Young adults (18–25 years): 7–9 hours
/ Adults (26–64 years): 7–9 hours
/ Older adults (aged 65 and over): 7–8 hours
Sleep is so important because:
/ It lifts your spirits.
/ It improves your ability to learn and concentrate.
/ It increases your patience and calms an irritable temperament.
/ It gives your body the best possible foundation to function ‘as it should’.
/ Organs, the brain and so on have time to repair what needs fixing.
When we don’t get enough sleep:
/ The risk of depression and anxiety increases.
/ The immune system is weakened.
/ The brain does not get its ‘downtime’. Some believe that sleep removes waste products from the brain, and if this does not happen, the risk of various diseases increases.
/ The risk of diabetes, obesity, mental health conditions and heart problems increases, and the onset of Alzheimer’s is accelerated.
I could write much more about the pros and cons of sleep, but I’d rather use this space to focus on good rituals that can promote a good night’s sleep. A great many people find it difficult to sleep, and for most, simply going to bed at a reasonable hour is not enough. It is also important to establish good habits, routines and rituals that make it easier to fall asleep.
Below you will find various holistic and skincare-based tips for a good night’s sleep. It combines self-care, aromatherapy and positive thinking with a selection of the well-known sleep tips that can also be found in many places online.
Tips for a good night’s sleep
Personally, I believe that my belief in the fact that I’m a good sleeper is at least as important as actually being one.
I often find myself saying: “One of my gifts in life is my ability to sleep soundly.” I believe that what we say also, in many ways, becomes our chosen truth.
I never go to bed thinking: “Oh no, what if I can’t sleep?” – because I know from experience that I almost always sleep like a log. My eldest daughter used to worry about this when she was younger, and once such a worry takes hold, it can be hard to let go.
Good rituals, where we get used to healthy sleep patterns, good eating habits and the like, can relatively quickly become our new chosen truth. The ideas below are not intended as a checklist where you have to tick everything off, but are simply elements that can promote good sleep rituals.
Before bed with Karmameju Skincare
/ A warm bath in the evening can help the body wind down. Consider whether you can have your daily bath before bedtime instead of in the morning. It might even end up being a lovely moment of self-care to end the day with – and give you a more peaceful morning – now that you don’t also have to rush to have a bath, dry your hair, etc.
/ Gentle music has a relaxing effect on most people. On Spotify, we’ve created a Karmameju Skincare music universe featuring tracks that we find sensorial, relaxing and cosy. Feel free to listen to music in the bathroom or similar spaces. As you get ready for bed during the last hour or so, make sure to switch off the lights and do whatever else needs doing so that you’re ready for bed.
Listen to the Karmameju Skincare playlists HERE
/ Good skincare rituals such as cleansing your face, using face masks and the like are a form of loving self-care that helps most people to relax. I like to head to the bathroom around 8–9 pm rather than 10.30 pm, when I’ll soon be under the duvet and am starting to feel tired. Perhaps set aside some time for yourself to wash the day off your face, file your nails or give yourself a facial massage. The things that make you feel calm and relaxed.
/ Aromatherapy from nature, such as the scent of lavender and chamomile, helps to de-stress the body and mind. At Karmameju Skincare, our range of products, such as CALM balm, PEACE body lotion, MILD body oil and HEAL face oil – all products containing these soothing oils.
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Apply KISS face mist to your pillow to make the gentle scents part of a regular ritual and a signal to your brain that “it’s time to sleep”. Spray your pillow with a couple of spritzes of KISS, and over time the scent will signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep./ Keep your favourite facial oil on your bedside table. Sit under the duvet and treat yourself to a relaxing facial massage. We carry a lot of tension in our faces (tension that can easily lead to premature fine lines and wrinkles), and for many people, the eye area in particular is under strain due to screen work. If you’re thinking, “I don’t know how to do a facial massage”, just remember that you can’t do it wrong. Rub a little oil between your hands and let them glide over your face. You’ll soon find the spots where it feels particularly good – where tension is released and the sensation is incredibly pleasant. If you don’t have any facial oil on your bathroom shelf, you can also use, for example, olive oil from the kitchen.
/ Acupressure is an ancient Chinese method said to have many benefits for body and mind. You can find acupressure points online that you can apply yourself to help you drift off to sleep.
/ Breathing is an essential part of a relaxed body. When you lie down on your pillow, try to focus on breathing rhythmically and calmly. For example, by counting to 3 as you breathe in and to 3 as you breathe out. When the nervous system is calmed through our breathing, the body finds rest.
Breathing all the way down into the abdomen
Although I’m a qualified yoga teacher, I feel that it’s only recently that I’ve truly understood the well-known phrase: ‘breathing all the way down into the abdomen’. I’ve always found it difficult! And then, all of a sudden, I had a breakthrough – previously, when I tried to breathe right down into my stomach, it would start in my throat, and I’d try to fill my lungs first, and only then breathe all the way down into my stomach. WHAT solved it for me was imagining that you’re skipping the lungs – in other words, that the air rushes past the lungs on its way down and goes straight to the stomach instead. Give it a go! Several people have got back to me and told me that it works for them too, after I mentioned it in talks and to friends.
/ When you lie down on the pillow, remember to relax your face too – your forehead, eyes and jaws. Say to yourself: “I’m relaxing my face” – because the body listens to what we say.
/ A gentle hand and/or foot massage on yourself is, once again, relaxing for both body and mind, for example using MILD body oil.
/ BLAZE power potion, which provides natural muscle relief, has – as several people have written to us – been found to help improve sleep. Happy customers report that not only does it relieve muscle tension, but the scent also helps them sleep well.
/ A good pillow, a good mattress, soft bed linen and ensuring the bedroom is well-ventilated are also things that make me love my bed.
/ Sleep masks made of soft silk, perhaps with the genuine scent of lavender, can have a calming effect and help your eyelids transition from restlessness to closing naturally.
/ There are several dietary supplements that are said to optimise sleep quality and promote a more restful sleep. You might want to ask your local health food shop which ones could support your specific sleeping habits.
/ Focus on positive thoughts; people you care about, things you’ve achieved, things you’re looking forward to, and so on – these are also lovely things to drift off to sleep with.
A good habit can be to write in a diary in the evening. It can be a good way to consciously let go of the whirlwind of thoughts the day may have left you with, whilst at the same time reminding yourself of the little good things that have happened, or things you’re grateful for.
