HomeHow ToHow to Sleep Better (Ensure You Get Your Rest)

How to Sleep Better (Ensure You Get Your Rest)

We all seem to have such a busy lifestyle and often, even those of us who consider ourselves skin-conscious are selflessly neglecting our sleep. There is always a reason to sleep later or uncomfortably, but it’s something to keep in mind, that the more organized your sleep-schedule, the younger your skin can look. You actually wake up with a healthy glow of sorts when you have had a decent amount of sleep. Getting adequate sleep is an important part of physical health, as well as a helpful ingredient to looking younger. Here are some quick tips on how to sleep well!


You Have Natural Beauty

And chances are, if you don’t get enough sleep, that beauty is hiding behind tired, dulled skin. Your skin doesn’t have a chance to recover from regular stresses of daily life when you are getting less than the recommended amount of sleep. This means your skin is aging faster and it’s quality is diminishing.

When you are asleep your body’s water levels are getting rebalanced; this is the time when excess water in your body is disposed of. Have you ever woken up too early, or gone to sleep too late and noticed your face puff up, or your eyes kind of droop? This is because your body hasn’t had the chance to balance its hydration. You’ll notice that when you are not getting a decent 7-9 hours of sleep it appears on your face.


Not Sleeping Enough Accelerates the Aging Process

Making sure you get the right amount of sleep is important for a healthy and youthful lifestyle. There is nothing more satisfying than a well-earned beauty sleep, and one of side effects of not getting enough sleep is that it accelerates the aging process. Eventually, not getting enough sleep will heighten the natural aging process and you will basically start to look older before your time. The blood flow to your body decreases with sleep deprivation and can result in a pale, flushed-out look. You will notice a lot more wrinkles on your body when you are getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night, and your cheek are may also look dry and ashy.


What Can I Do to Get Enough Sleep?

It definitely sounds easy enough in theory, but a sleep schedule can be difficult to maintain for a number of reasons. Maybe you don’t have a 9-5 job, maybe you have 3 little children, maybe you have 1 teenager and that’s enough. There are endless causes for not getting enough sleep, or getting disturbed sleep. Fortunately, there are easy fixes as long as your are willing to make the effort.

1. Don’t Consume Caffeine Late in the Day

Your internal body clock is badly affected when you dose yourself with evening caffeine. On your way to work in the mornings, no problem, but after 5pm it is best to avoid caffeine altogether.

Even once you finally fall asleep, late at night, your sleep does not become as deep as it needs to in order for it to be a healthy, sufficient night’s sleep. When coffee gets into your body, it literally begins to wake up the cells, so if you were getting sleepy before, you might stay tired but now you will be unable to sleep thanks to that added caffeine-boost.

2. Try to Avoid Napping for Long Hours

Is napping good for you? There is certainly some dialogue around napping; some claiming it is good for you and others claiming it is detrimental to your health. After reading the credible research, you will find that napping is actually the result of already-bad sleeping habits and can make things worse in the long run.

Doctors find that scattered sleep, especially naps longer than an hour are usually due to a bad night’s sleep; and a couple hours at random points in the day can’t actually rectify the matter. In fact, it may do further damage. Power naps, 20 to 30 minutes of sleep to boost your energy are OK and can benefit your performance. On the other hand, sleeping longer than 60 minutes during the day can lead to weight gain, and some types of insomnia.

3. Consider Supplements to Aid Sleep

If simply going to bed early just leaves you laying down stressed out, try a melatonin supplement. Melatonin is a natural hormone in the body and sometimes people require a little more of it to get a decent night’s sleep. Valerian root, and lavender are also great natural sleep aid supplements.

We prefer Marlyn’s Hep-Forte, 500 softgels, Naturally Vitamins because they you help fall asleep faster without the side-effect of grogginess when you wake up in the morning and it is chalk-full of natural ingredients.

4. Make Sure Your Mattress and Pillow are Comfortable

Do not compromise comfort and expect that just putting in the hours is enough. Sleeping is not a chore! When you wake up you should feel rested in order to actually see the positive effects on your body and skin. A proper mattress will prevent back problems, and aid existing back problems. To see the effect in your posture and your overall sleep, utilize a spine-aligning mattress for the most comfortable and posture-correcting sleep.

The Puffy Mattress is a beautifully constructed luxury mattress at a cost-effective price, and it was ranked the Best Mattress of 2019! With a cloud-gel layer for optimal comfort and climate-adaptive materials, The Puffy Mattress offers a 101 DAY TRIAL period. If after one hundred and one days you still aren’t certain this mattress is THE mattress, Puffy will refund you in full.

5. Don’t Eat Too Late in the Day

If you’ve ever fallen asleep after a heavy meal you might have experienced odd dreams or an uncomfortable sleep altogether. It’s best to keep your latest meal at least 4 hours before you go to bed at night. Snacks, or meals that are not heavy may be fine, but try to eat dinner long before bedtime because eating too late in the evening can lead to disruption in hormones and disrupt your sleep-cycle.

Consuming large amounts of food close to when you sleep can also lead to eventual weight gain. Your body is still trying to digest your food when you go to bed and have just had a meal or unhealthy foods, and laying down slows down the process. This habit can cause you to wake up the next day tired and with a lack of energy.

What if I Work the Night Shift?

So, I actually worked the night shift for a couple years when I was in college, because I had to be in class some mornings, and other evenings. Suffice to say, my sleep schedule was chaotic; some days I only got a few hours. I had lost a lot of weight, in an unhealthy kind of way, and I genuinely just looked tired even though I was used to getting little sleep. What becomes very important, if you are working nights, is to set aside the morning as soon as you are finished work for bedtime.

These early hours of the day as soon as you finish work are actually the best hours to get into a deep sleep similar to that of a nightly sleep schedule. After 10AM it is increasingly difficult to get a sufficient REM sleep. Having a proper mattress is crucial to ensuring real body rest that can effectively straighten out your daily rest. Invest in a good innerspring or memory foam mattress for a proper night’s rest. It can also really help to try blackout curtains, because if you’re sleeping in the morning, you’re likely being bombarded with light. It is important to make the most of your rest!

Bottom Line

The effects of getting enough sleep are plenty; fuller hair, better body and brain performance, and an overall healthier, younger look. It is absolutely worth taking the time to find a solid mattress and bed set for the purpose of looking younger and feeling better altogether!

41 thoughts on “How to Sleep Better (Ensure You Get Your Rest)

  1. You just answered my question concerning getting rest and proper sleep at night. I work as a night shift and most of my day is what I use in sleeping back to get my energy up and running for the night, coupled with other things I need to do for my kids. Thankfully you have provided tips on how to overcome that too. This is definitely worth reading. I never knew napping for more than 60 minutes is bad, or that sleeping in the day isn’t as good as sleeping at night. Definitely explains a lot. Wow! Thanks for the tips and info!

  2. I couldn’t agree more about getting proper sleep.  For a while I was waking up every 2 hours during the night and it would take ages to get back to sleep.  I felt completely groggy and fuzzy headed when the alarm went off.  I felt like a zombie all day and didn’t look much better, either.  After making some changes in my mattress and taking both melatonin an valerian this slowly changed so that now I get a full eight hours of sleep and I just can’t tell you how much better I feel!

  3. I wanted to say, thank you for this informative post.

    I actually thought napping was a good thing in general.  I figured resting like this multiple times a day was a great way to replenish your energy.  I’m surprised to discover that’s not always the case.

    Let me tell you.  My sleep has been greatly improved by my Sleepnumber Bed.  Being able to adjust the firmness of the mattress and even elevation of my head and/or feet really helps me get a better night’s sleep. bI’ll have to work on the eating and consuming caffeine late issue. I do both regularly.

    Thanks again,


  4. Great informative article about how to ensure we get to rest. Whatever information you gave here, I absolutely agree with you. We should always be careful about how much we are sleeping. If we don’t have enough sleep, that means we can face plenty of health issue as well as some other issue like mental illness. And I know how a mattress can be the cause of sleepless night. Thanks for this excellent article where I have got some tips which I will share with my aunt who have a sleeplessness problem. 

  5. I don’t wear sunscreen but your post is full of valuable information, and I can see why one would try it. It’s nice as well that it’s a smooth, quick read. I never knew the specifics of sunscreen so I definitely learned something new. I will be sure to stop by in the future and check for future posts.

  6. Sleeping healthy is something I really need help with. I have 7 kids and 2 have mental health issues, one of them is tough to get to sleep and I am often up till 3-4AM as a result. I can’t take sleep aids with Lavendar in them because of a serious allergy to lavender which rules out a ton of Over the counter options. I try sleeping while the kids are in school but by then I am usually awake enough sleep comes hard. As a result, my own Bipolar tends to be affected by less sleep. Looking forward to more posts to help people find solutions to common ailments.

  7. This is something I have been able to improve on lately and I have to admit that I feel better and have more energy during the day at work.

    The first thing I do is, as you say, don’t drink sodas late at night and don’t eat late. Another thing I would like to add to your list is to not drink a lot of water before going to sleep and don’t drink beer late either.

    The other thing I think you should add to your list is to go to sleep an extra 1/2 hour to 1 hour more than what you want to sleep, because I always find that I am woken up by someone, something or the dogs wanting to go out to the bathroom.

    Great advice.

  8. Hi there, this post helped me understand the reason why it seems like I am beginning to grow older than my age without doing anything to cause it. Truly, sleep is a deciding factor because I hardly get enough sleep at night even though I work from home. I think I should reduce the amount of caffeine intake I have in the evening because I am a true fan of coffee. Thanks!

  9. This is a very good one that you have discussed here. It is very true that one needs to ensure one gets enough rest. I didn’t know though that it had anything to do with aging. That’s very awesome that sleep can help one have very healthy and good looking skin. I think I need to sleep some more and I mean sound sleep. I will make sure to put your tips in mind for how not to lose out in sleeping thanks.

  10. Hey Sonia, awesome article. I can relate to it so well, I’ve been concerned about the sleep that I have and have not been getting and your article really spoke to me. It’s important to get as sleep as possible but how much sleep is lost due to worrying lol. I kid but seriously, your article made me realize how important sleep is how to get more of it.

  11. Thanks for sharing this information! Sleep is very important for so many thing that have an impact on our bodies. Because I do not believe in taking any kind of prescription medication when I am sick, on those rare occasions that I do fall ill, I will always make sure I get plenty of bed rest because that is when the body does the bulk of its healing.

    Seeing how I do not believe in taking man-made medications and especially for sleeping, I rely on more natural ways of not just getting to sleep but getting a better deeper sleep. The tips you have provided here are GREAT! Three I have done and two, numbers 2 and 5, I need to start doing those better.

    I have a problem doing power naps. A nap for me is normally no less than an hour and most times an hour and a half. Eating no later than 4 hours before bed, sometimes that is possible, especially if what I eat is only a big bowl of salad. But if I have any kind of meat or starch, I find myself wanting a snack.

    There are two things that definitely have helped me and many others get to sleep and sleep better that my doctor recommends. Taking a dropper full of CBD oil right before bed helps and to get to sleep fast I use the 4-7-8 deep breathing technique. Regardless of what people do, sleep is important, and as you point out, lack of sleep accelerates the aging process.

  12. I have never really thought about the possible affects of aging, I know that may sound weird maybe even arrogant but that its not what I am trying to portray. I have been told for years that I look the same as I had as a teen and aside from the weight gain I would have to agree.

    I love the list of ways to watch your daily activities to help prolong aging. I never knew that when we slept that it balances our water ratio. Awesome site, full of great information and it’s easy to read!

  13. This has made me cherish my rest than I do before, it’s obvious that healthy sleep habits can make a big difference in our quality of life, I basically have trouble sleeping at night and for some reason I blame it on the coffee I take while doing my reading at night, I’m glad I came across this article although taking caffeine before sleeping has recently become an habit, I guess it’s the sacrifice I have to make for a good night rest. 

  14. This is great advice! Sleep is very important and can be so elusive for so many of of us. I teach meditation and mindfulness practices to adults and teens, and difficulty falling asleep comes up every time as a HUGE challenge for adults and kids. As we are all aware, sleep is so important. I’m sharing this right away.


  15. I have often wondered why I work out and eat lots of healthy food but I still get the wrinkles and bag under my eyes. I have always want to look young as a matter of fact I feel I look younger than my 18years old daughter, lol. But now I see the reason why, I have always been the wake up at night to read kind of person because I assimilate faster then. I’ll try to reschedule some things now/

  16. Hi Sonia. Thank you for your very informative article on how to  ensure you get enough rest. As you say, there are so many factors that can make this difficult. For many years when I was young I didn’t get enough sleep. Sometimes i would get as little as three hours. I worked night shift, but my shift didn’t end until 9am so by the time I got home it was around 10am. To make matters worse, on the fifth day I worked day shift. This meant I couldn’t get into any real pattern. One day I went to the doctor because I had lost a lot of weight, I was suffering migraines and was generally unwell. My doctor told me to either give up my job or I would have a short life span. I guess what I’m trying to say is that sometimes we just have to change our lifestyle.Now my wife has trouble sleeping, I think I’ll take a look at those Melatonin supplements. Jim 

  17. I had no idea sleep was this important to keeping our skin looking smooth and young. Fortunately I get about 6 and half hours sleep a night and I don’t usually need a nap during the day. If I do it’s only for an hour and maybe 2-3x a week, so does this mean I’m getting enough sleep? I have a very physical job too so sometimes this plays a big role in napping a couple times a week.

    1. It looks like you’re not doing too bad; you’re at least getting 5 consecutive hours of sleep which is very important. Having a physical job can definitely help induce a sufficient amount of sleep. If there’s any way you can get 8 hours, definitely aim for it, as it is the amount that most doctors recommend! 

  18. True to your words, we find ourselves up and about running all day and house chores all evening. ( hours of sleep is almost a luxury. For myself, I am addicted to caffeine, and I think this is one of the reasons I am always still up by midnight.I like the suggestion on Valerian root and Lavender as they are natural. I wouldn’t want something that is addictive again.

    I just love the benefits you have highlighted on having enough sleep. Other than a younger look, one of my main motivation would be the resulting fuller hair! Thanks for this article!

  19. Simple, clear but informative; it is nice to read this kind of stuff. People know the importance of sleeping enough and rest generally but still do not enough most of the time in my opinion. Also, it is often pretty underrated. These easy but effective steps to improve the quality of your sleep are great, these should be self-explanatory but somehow we miss them way too often. I need to stop my “small” snaps in evenings cause they take usually much longer and quality of sleep (in nights) gets pretty bad. Thanks for sharing this! 

  20. I can totally relate to that, I used to work at night too and I have no idea how to fix my sleeping pattern until now. Sometimes I get so very tired but I just can’t seem to fall asleep no matter how exhausted I am, do you think that’s normal for working adults? I notice that I get tired more easily whenever I hear sounds of rain 🙂

  21. Nowadays, in our very busy agenda, most of the time we don’t find enough time to sleep. I have started to become concerned about it. Thank you very much for the tips you pointed out here, especially the one concerning not taking coffee at night or having big meals before bedtime. 

  22. I have struggled with my sleeping schedule for as long as I can remember. I remember being in college, not sleeping for a whole two days, and I would still have trouble sleeping on the third. I tried different types of sleep-aids, but it came to a point where it became unhealthy. Repressed trauma can lead to insomnia, that’s what happened to me. I ended up having to get professional help. Luckily, the sleep aids you provided are an awesome resource for those who have trouble sleeping. Thank you for this article! 

  23. One of the things that has worked for me is making my sleeping hours and important appointment. We usually don’t skip appointment appointments. So that tricks my mind into getting enough sleep. I will also follow some of the suggestions you presented,  and one of them is purchasing a more comfortable mattress.

  24. In our current busy world, I have to say that it is extremely difficult to get that good night’s sleep. Most nights, I am able to put in 4 to 5 hours of sleep. This has become kind of a routine and my body knows about it. Aside from my day’s work I try to build another business at home and things takes a lot of my sleep time. I really do need to ensure I get a good night’s sleep but is always easier said than done.

  25. Thanks, Sonia for this really informative article. I have always worked nights and the I retired well now it is almost impossible to sleep normal I have been slowly changing my habits but it has been so hard. I presently get to sleep at about 3 am and sleep till 9 am. I am now going to try even harder to get my internal clock right and get to sleep before 10 pm. Thanks again.



  26. I had no idea that sleep had so much to do with slowing down the aging process. I personally had trouble getting enough sleep since I worked evenings but had to be up early to take kids to school. Seemed like I was always chasing sleep, and was always tired. Thank you for this advice, I will start using it immediately!

  27. Whatever we can do to slow the aging process is of interest to me.  Sleep does not seem to be a difficult topic until you don’t get enough sleep.  The tips for improving your sleep were very helpful. I may have to revisit the subject of the impact of your mattress.  Not having caffeine late in the day is one thing I have changed. Eating late in the day can cause problems, but it is one thing I tend to do.  Thanks for the reminder to eat earlier rather than later.  Very informative article.

  28. Hi Sonia,

    I worked in a night shift call center job for 6+ years, and I resigned from it due to health reasons. Even last night, I struggled a lot to sleep and your post means a lot to me.

    I was scared and afraid when I read; not having enough sleep will accelerate the aging process. I am currently sleeping for less than 5 hours, and I am planning to sleep for more than 6 hours.

    Going to try power naps. I am unaware of the importance of mattress and pillow. Puffy Mattress is on my list and lifetime warranty is just like icing on the cake. I got helpful insights from your post and you gave a lot of value here.

    Thanks for sharing!

  29. Being able to sleep comfortably and regularly is a very essential need for the body and it helps the health in a lot of ways. It’s very true that not getting enough sleep quickens the aging process and also it serve other detrimental effects like headache, lack of focus, stress and lot more. It’s very thoughtful of you to share these tips about how to get enough sleep, they are very practical and accessible to do, they’ll be of help. 

  30. This is a very interesting post, I think the vast majority of us would love to stay young and the best we can ever expect is to at least stay looking young, we will never be truly able to defy time, but I think most of us look at healthy eating and healthy lifestyle as a means of keeping ourselves feeling and looking young, maybe too many of us overlook the importance that sleep has on the aging process, I for one will now start paying more attention to the way and how comfortably I am sleeping so I can get a good nights sleep, thank you for sharing this post.   

  31. Not getting enough sleep is one thing that is very common to so many people nowadays and it seems all these pills are not working again, all hey do now is add to the problem on ground. I like to combat health issues with natural remedies because it gives you more chances of Safety, so seeing these tips for ensuring you get your rest makes me happy. It’s very factual that not sleeping makes the face age fast. When I had this kind of problem, it was very hard for me to focus on whatever I do because i wasn’t able to sleep at night, I later found out that it was because of my bed, I change it to one my friend recommended to me and it was okay. I’ll share this article with some other people and I know they gain from it!

  32. I absolutely agree with so much in this post. My daughter used to have a terrible sleep pattern. As soon as she started on melatonin her sleep dramatically improved. I also work night shifts and have noticed that I only manage to sleep until midday which I suppose is OK if the sleep quality is poor past this time.One thing I have heard is that it’s better not to eat during a night shift as our body clock is set by our meal times. I would be interested to know if you have seen any research that backs this? I look forward to visiting your site again.

  33. I’ve definitely noticed that as I’ve gotten older that eating a big meal, my main meal, in the evening has a negative effect on my ability to sleep. It’s really frustrating but I think it’s just something I have to get used to… My other half can still eat at any time of day or night but this article has strengthened my resolve to not eat a big meal in the evening. Thanks for sharing.

  34. Not having a comfortable place to sleep is a factor that affects our sleep a lot and there are little we have done to take care of it. Those whose mattresses are not good enough should be able to point it out that its a problem and take measures to correct it. Lastly, lifestyles matter a lot and there is where the issue of caffeine comes in. Some of the things we take in that affect our sleep should be taken off the system.

  35. Hello, Great articles as usual! Back again to my favourite website, j think today on this article you really touched me, I do work in irregular shifts sometimes night shift and other times morning shift, I have tried to unjust my matress and pillow but still I do get quality sleep, I think sleep might also be affecting me, I have also to change my meals timing as you stated it’s not advisable to take caffeine late in the day, I now believe it might be the major cause. Kindly write more about someone who has irregular job shifts. I really appreciate you for sharing such a wonderful article. I am looking forward to learn even more from you.

  36. Thank you very much for this article. I work at a mobile phone company. Because I am from Europe, and our clients are from the United States too, I need to work 1 week night and 1 week in the day. The hardest thing is getting my sleep back in the week when I work the day. At work I am always tired and when I come home I cannot rest.
    Thank you very much for this article in which I find myself. I think I will try to change my job because my lifestyle is very affected. I want to have a family and with this sleeping problem it will be very difficult for me.
    All the best and i hope to see more post like this. 

  37. hello Sonia;
    I had a life hectic, and I was always between two trips: obligations of my professional life. but since my traffic accident and after the three months spent in hospital care, far from the tumult of life, the boss’s moods and the cries of the children on the weekend, I noticed on my return home the look that took me my neighbors and coworkers, they all said that I had rejuvenated a good ten years and my complexion had become clearer and more uniform. so I admit sleep has a significant contribution to skin health and aging.

  38. Hi Sonia. I am a singer. I have heard issues with my music carrier several times because of my voice that easily gets strains and cracks… I didn’t understand what my problem was until I was made to understand that sleep helps the voice 100%.

    Up till now (better than before anyways) I am not still getting good sleep. I usually eat late nights. Thanks for the tips you have shared as I believe these tips will go long way in helping me get some good sleep.

  39. I am not the type that sleeps long hours each day because I find myself chasing after some things…. especially on the internet. Even when I mean to get some rest I find myself caught up on my phone or in some endless journey on the internet, lol. However, I have noticed whenever I sleep long enough, I usually feel this strength and a lot better in general, when I wake in the morning. I agree that getting enough sleep and getting healthy sleep is actually one of the ways to help stay younger and healthy too!

  40. I couldn’t agree with you more on getting a good nights rest.You are very  thorough in your article with tips and aids on helping to accomplish a good night’s rest. As for myself, I haven’t had a real good night sleep in years. Suffering from insomnia I have tried all these procedures and none have worked for me. You are so right about how the body starts to retain water and age at a faster rate. So in the faster pace of life we live today and the need to multitask I find it harder and harder to rest my thoughts . 

Leave a Reply

