Epilator Authority

Category: Skin Care

  • Best Time to Sleep for Skin

    Best Time to Sleep for Skin

    After years of trying various hacks for skincare, I finally realized the component that makes or breaks all the others: sleep.

    I can use #allthethings in attempts to make my skin look good while still hating what I’m seeing in the mirror. Then some days, I neglect my skin yet get high-quality sleep at the right times and my skin magically looks ten times better.

    So what is the best time to sleep for skin? According to sleep researchers, the best time to sleep for skin benefits is between 8 PM and midnight. You’ll get the most benefits if you get 7 to 9 hours each night and keep your sleep and wake times consistently the same each day.

    Why is this time the best for sleeping? And what happens to your skin when you get high-quality sleep at this time? Read on to find out.

    The Optimal Time to Sleep

    We sleep in cycles of 90 minutes. During each cycle, we go through all four stages of sleep, including three stages of slow-wave sleep and one stage called REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.

    Although all stages of sleep provide different benefits, many researchers believe that the first three stages may provide most of the restorative benefits of sleep.

    This is important to note because, after midnight, your cycles tend to have longer periods of REM sleep, cutting short the non-REM sleep. So if you fall asleep after midnight, you may be missing out on the optimal levels of non-REM sleep.

    According to Matthew Walker, a sleep researcher at the Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, “When it comes to bedtime, there’s a window of several hours, roughly between 8 PM and 12 AM, during which your brain and body have the opportunity to get all the non-REM and REM shuteye they need to function optimally.”

    This means that you need to be getting to bed by midnight if you want all the restorative benefits of sleep (including the restorative benefits for the skin).

    Benefits of Sleep for Your Skin

    Research has shown again and again that sleep in crucial to looking your best. Just one night of poor sleep can cause swollen eyes, droopy eyelids, undereye circles, paler skin, droopy mouth corners, and wrinkles or fine lines.

    In addition to this, sleep deprivation will make your skin age faster. This is because your skin repairs and replenishes itself each night. And every night you skip out on a good 7 to 9 hours, you are adding unnecessary age to your skin.

    Yes, just one night! But on the flip side, it just takes one good night of sleep to improve the appearance of your skin and put a stop to that pre-mature aging.

    How to Get High-Quality Sleep

    As you know now, for your skin to look it’s best, you should be falling asleep between 8 PM and midnight. You also should be sleeping getting 7-9 hours each night, no matter what.

    These two elements sleeping well are a good start, but there is much more you can do to make sure you get the highest quality of sleep and therefore, the most benefits for your skin.

    Stay Regular

    Regularity is the key to beating insomnia and ensuring you are falling into a deep, restorative sleep that fully renews your body and mind. This means you need to be going to sleep and waking up at the same time every single day, including weekends.

    When you miss out on enough sleep, even for one day, you will never be able to completely make up for the consequences on your body and skin. Although the consequences of losing sleep for one night is pretty insignificant, they do add up over many nights and many years.

    Besides that, when you are waking up and going to sleep at different times, you essentially are giving yourself jet lag. Your body will not be primed to sleep as well because your circadian rhythm will be constantly resetting. Our bodies aren’t meant to do this.

    So at least commit to waking up at the same time every single day and then listen to your body in the evenings. It will tell you when it’s time to go to sleep.

    Keep Cool

    Humans evolved before climate-controlled buildings. Cooler air after the sunset signaled to the body that it was time to sleep.

    Now our bodies still need that signal, but our environment doesn’t always provide it.

    The best way to fix this problem is to make sure the thermostat is set to a cooler temperature at night. 67 to 72 degrees works for most people, but you may have to experiment until you find the ideal temperature for your body.

    If you are in a dorm room, apartment, or some other arrangement where you can’t change the temperature at night easily, you can try sleeping with a cooling pad or blanket like the Elegear Cooling Throw Blanket (click to see images and reviews Amazon).

    Embrace Darkness

    Artificial light, especially from devices like computers and smartphones, has a major impact on sleep quality. Screen time in the hour before you go to sleep will reduce melatonin production. This is the hormone that helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.

    So definitely put the smartphone or iPad away at least an hour before you plan to fall asleep. Reading a book in dim light is a better option.

    In addition, if you live in an urban area where city lights keep your street bright all night, make sure you have curtains or blinds that block it out so your room can get sufficiently dark.

    Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine

    According to sleep researcher Matthew Walker, caffeine intake has been shown to reduce deep sleep by 20% in studies. So even if you have no problem falling asleep after drinking caffeine, you are not getting the full restorative benefits of sleep for your skin.

    “I would probably have to age you by about 30 years to get that type of a drop in deep sleep. Or you could do it every night with a cup of coffee with dinner,” Walker stated in an interview by Chris Kesser.

    Since caffeine will still be in your blood even after 12 hours, it’s best to avoid it completely. But if you’ve gotta have your morning java, limit it to your first hour in the morning to minimize its effects on your sleep.

    Along the same line, alcohol is problematic too. It fragments sleep, limiting its restorative effects. So if you want to avoid it most of the time as well, especially right before bed.

    Don’t Chill in Your Bed

    Your nervous system is always working in the background, taking in environmental cues and then reacting to them. If it associates your bed with sleep, this will make falling asleep and staying asleep so much easier.

    This is why it’s important to not hang out in your bed unless you are sleeping or will be sleeping very soon.

    If you are lying in bed and just can’t fall asleep after 20 or 25 minutes, then it’s best to get up and go to another room. Do a quiet activity in dim light until you get sleepy. Then you can go back to bed.

    Final Takeaways

    Good sleep is the component missing out of almost everyone’s skincare routine. To get the biggest benefits for your skin, get to sleep between 8 PM and midnight and sleep for at least 7-9 hours each night.

    You should also work on increasing the quality of your sleep by having a consistent bedtime and wake time, sleeping in a cool room, and avoiding artificial light, caffeine, and alcohol.

    Lastly, make sure that sleep is the main activity of your bedroom to condition your nervous system to fall asleep easily when you hit the sack.

    Want to remember this? Pin this to your favorite Pinterest board so you can find it later!

    References

    Chris Kresser: Why We Need Sleep with Dr. Matthew Walker

    Clinical and Experimental Dermatology: Does Poor Sleep Quality Affect Skin Ageing?

    Sleep: Cues of Fatigue: Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Facial Appearance

    Time: What’s the Best Time to Sleep? You Asked

  • Cut Nails Too Short? Here’s Everything You Need to Know!

    Cut Nails Too Short? Here’s Everything You Need to Know!

    Being a life long sufferer of dermatillomania (aka skin picking with some nail-biting), I have experienced the consequences of too short nails A LOT. Lucky for you, this has helped me learn the best ways to handle this problem so that pain is minimized and healing happens quickly.

    So what should you do if you cut your nails too short? After cutting your nail too short, first, ensure that the area is clean and dry. Next, use an antibiotic ointment and bandages to prevent infection and reduce pain. For further pain relief, soak the nail in warm water or take an over the counter pain medication.

    These are the bare minimum you can do in order to prevent infection and reduce pain. Read on for other ways you can make the experience less torturous and recover quickly from a painful short fingernail or toenail.

    But Why Does it Hurt so Bad?!

    When your fingernail or toenail is cut too far down, the hyponychium is uncovered. This is the red skin under your nail.

    The hyponychium has tons of nerve endings in it. This is necessary so you can feel things well enough to do everything we do with our fingers. However, all these nerve endings make it super sensitive.

    This is usually fine because it’s protected by your nail. However, when you cut your nail too short, this exposes it to pressure it’s not used to. And this can hurt like crazy (as you know right now).

    How to Stop the Pain and Soothe a Nail Cut Too Short

    Thankfully, there are several steps you can take to reduce pain from cutting your nail too short.

    First, make sure the area is clean. This will help prevent infection, which will make your nail hurt even more.

    Gently wash the area with hand soap under warm water for about 20 seconds. Then thoroughly rise the area and dry it well.

    Continue to wash the area regularly until the nail grows back.

    You want to try to keep your nail as dry as possible and avoid harsh chemicals, cleaning products, and dishwashing. All of these things will irritate the sensitive skin under your nail and make it more prone to infection.

    If you can’t avoid those things, you can always wear some cleaning gloves. You can get a pair for just a few dollars at most supermarkets or dollar stores.

    When I cut a nail too short or pull off a hangnail, I always put an antibacterial ointment like Neosporin or spray like Bactine on the area and cover it with a bandage or two until the pain goes away.

    Bandages help prevent infection and they provide a cushion that reduces pressure on the painful, sensitive skin.

    If the pain is really bad and there is manual labor I can’t avoid, I often take a small dose of an over the counter pain medication like naproxen. This reduces pain well enough that I don’t notice it and can go on about my day.

    All the pain is usually gone within about 24 hours for me. My nails grow really fast, though, so that may be why it goes away so quickly for me.

    However, if you feel like you need to do more to help with the pain, an easy home remedy is to soak the nail in warm water 3 or 4 times a day. Then dry your nails well.

    You may also want to try rubbing a nail oil, such as jojoba oil, into the sore area to help with the pain.

    Most people find the pain is gone within a few days, though. The main exception would be if bacteria get under the nail and causes an infection.

    Infection from Cutting Nail Too Short

    If bacteria invade the skin under your nail, you may end up with paronychia, which is an infection in one of the nail folds.

    Pain from an infection is often more severe than the pain from simply cutting the nail too short. If your nail becomes infected, you may have throbbing pain or a swollen finger or toe.

    Antibiotic ointment often heals a minor infection quickly for me. Warm water soaks may also help.

    But you don’t want to mess around with bacterial infections. If it lasts for more than a few days, definitely seek out advice from your physician.

    They may need to prescribe you an antibiotic or drain the area if it becomes abscessed. Letting this go for too long may result in a worse infection that is harder to heal, especially if you have a weak immune system or other health issues.

    How to Stop Biting Nails

    If your nails are too short from biting, there are a few things you can do that may help you stop.

    First, make sure you take care of your nails properly. A well-manicured nail will look nice and that may be incentive enough to stop you from chewing at it since you won’t want to ruin the work you’ve done on your nails.

    If you’re like me, nice-looking nails isn’t a good enough incentive. However, rough skin or uneven edges on the nails may trigger you to start biting or picking. Therefore, a well-manicured nail may help in that way.

    So even if you skip a manicure, at least make sure your hands and nails are well moisturized and file them smoothly. I recommend a glass nail file like this one so you don’t have to keep buying a disposable one.

    If these steps don’t help you to stop biting your fingernails, it may be time to talk to your doctor or mental health professional about possible treatments.

    Ask her or him about therapies for OCD that may help with nail-biting.

    In addition, some medications and supplements, including N-acetylcysteine, may help reduce body-focused repetitive behaviors like nail-biting. So that is another topic to you may want to talk about with your doctor or mental health professional.

    Related Questions

    How to cut nails properly?

    To cut your nails properly, don’t angle the nail clipper upwards. It should be parallel with your finger. Then cut straight across, not rounding the edges. This is especially important for toes because this prevents ingrown toenails.

    What N-acetylcysteine (NAC) brand do you recommend?

    I have used several brands of NAC over the years and found this NAC from Swanson to be the highest quality for the price. Some brands didn’t seem to work at all, but I noticed a change in behaviors while taking the Swanson brand NAC (under the supervision of my doctor).

    Want to remember this? Pin this to your favorite Pinterest board so you can find it later!

    References

    American Family Physician: Acute and Chronic Paronychia

    American Family Physician: Management of the Ingrown Toenail

    Anti-Inflammatory & Anti-Allergy Agents in Medicinal Chemistry: N-Acetylcysteine Versus Placebo for Treating Nail Biting, a Double Blind Randomized Placebo Controlled Clinical Trial

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Nail Hygiene

  • Natural Face Cleanser: How to Choose One for You

    Natural Face Cleanser: How to Choose One for You

    Cleansing your face removes the top layer of dead skin cells, oil, sweat, dirt, and pollution. If skin is not cleansed properly, it can become dull, flaky, and prone to blemishes. Using a natural face cleanser is an obvious choice to reap these benefits while also avoiding unhealthy and environmentally damaging chemicals found in conventional cleansers. However, with many options, along with the trend of green-washing, it can become incredibly overwhelming to find a truly natural face cleanser.

    As we’ve explained in other posts, there are specific things to look for when buying certain products, such as epilators for facial hair. As you’re searching the market of natural facial cleansers for the one that’s best for you, there are four questions you can ask yourself to help you make the best choice:

    1. What’s your skin type?

    Do you have normal skin? Are you acne prone, with larger pores and oily skin? Or does your skin fit more of a mature profile, with fine lines, wrinkles and dry skin? Perhaps you have sensitive skin that breaks out easily?

    Identifying the category your skin falls into is the first step in choosing the right facial products and achieving a better complexion. A quality natural face cleanser line will have several different cleansers available, tailored to fit the needs of varying skin types.

    2. Is it antibacterial?

    Triclosan is a non-biodegradable chemical commonly used in anti-bacterial soaps, including facial cleansers. In studies, this chemical is linked to cancer and hormone dysfunction in humans. It’s frequently found as pollution in waterways where it disrupts wildlife and natural ecosystems. Clearly, avoiding any products containing triclosan will put you on the path to a greener cleanser. Unfortunately, many facial washes deemed to be “natural face cleanser” have this ingredient in them.

    3. Are the ingredients plant-based?

    Conventional cleansers are made with synthetic ingredients derived from petroleum. These are inherently unsustainable and stay in the environment in a virulent form indefinitely. A totally natural facial cleanser replaces these dangerous chemicals with wholesome ingredients procured from plants. The most dangerous and notorious ingredients you should certainly avoid when you buy a natural face cleanser include parabens, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, phthalates and fragrances other than plant-based essential oils.

    4. Is the natural face cleanser certified organic?

    Labeling standards for personal care products do not regulate the terms- “organic” or “natural.”  Any product can call itself natural or organic, regardless of its ingredients. Looking for a USDA Certified Organic Seal is the only way to guarantee that an organic facial cleanser is truly organic. This seal can be used only on products with at least 95% organic ingredients.

    This certification is also the only assurance that your facial cleanser will not contain 1,4-Dioxane, a cancer-causing containment that is formed in the manufacture of dozens of different personal care products. Since it’s a bi-product of production and not intentionally added, the FDA does not require companies to add it to the ingredient lists. However, organic food standards do not allow the processes that create 1,4-Dioxane, so any certified organic product will naturally be free of this unhealthy chemical. So to stay on the safe side, make sure you purchase a certified organic natural face cleanser.