Getting Your Beauty Sleep

A recent study by the National Sleep Foundation reports that the average American gets 6 hours and 40 minutes of sleep per night (scarily, that is down from the 7+ hours reported last year!). We all know that we need sleep for mental clarity, immunity, and mood stabilization, but did you know that a good night's sleep also provides cellular detoxification and renewal of the skin?

Sleeping is actually the easiest way to look better! Knowing this, it will therefore come as no surprise that many orally administered medications prescribed by dermatologists for skin conditions such as acne and eczema contain small amounts of sedatives; looks like even modern medicine is forcing us to sleep more for enhanced beauty results.

Even if you don't have specific skin problems, puffy under-eyes and a pale complexion is never a good look, so why do we routinely deprive ourselves of this much-needed restoration?

An increased average workday is the top culprit, but other factors such as lifestyle, increased stress levels, and sleep disorders are also to blame. (This whole time I thought it was because Leno doesn't come on until 11:30!)

Ever-dedicated to encouraging all to reach full wellbeing potential, the spa world's answer to this imbalanced dilemma is The Sleep Spa, of course!! One of the top trends in the spa industry in 2008 is the prevalence of sleep programs in the spa environment, according to Spa Finder's CEO, Susie Ellis. That's right, the power nap has returned, and this time, it's trendy! (Just a little note here, the siesta midday break has been more of a staple than a trend in European and Latin countries; are we finally accepting that they may have been on to something this whole time?)

If you pay attention to your inner circadian rhythm, you'll find that there is a late afternoon lull, about 8 hours after you wake up, and that it is natural to want to sleep. So, instead of going for that 4pm coffee jolt, it's actually more natural and beneficial to take a 20-minute nap.

Yelo, a Manhattan-based sleeping haven, is on the cutting edge of this trend. They offer signature YeloCabs, ideal cubbies for optimized napping that can be booked in 20 or 40-minute increments. You can justify a midday visit to your boss by explaining that it's likely that your productivity will increase while your stress will decrease, but you can justify it to yourself by knowing that following your body's natural rhythms will likely keep your skin looking radiant and young.

Look for more dedicated sleep spas and designated sleeping areas and therapies to be incorporated into your local spa soon...sleeping never looked so good.

Will you be a true sleeping beauty?