I love sleeping, it’s probably up there with eating as one of my favourite activities. Not only do I find it enjoyable (especially when I don’t have to get up for work the next day) but getting a good amount of sleep is crucial to function properly, and allows your body to recover from whatever life throws at you on a daily basis.

In terms of your face, getting a full forty winks is important, as a bad nights sleep increases your levels of stress hormones and inflammatory cells that can wreak havoc on your skin, causing dark eye circles, dry skin and more breakouts. Not only that, but bad skin as a result of poor sleep makes applying makeup a nightmare. Have you ever tried applying foundation onto blotchy, sensitive, spotty skin? It’s not fun, and since I love a bit of make up (I know you’d never guess!), I try to get as much sleep as possible.

For me, the problem I have is that initial getting to sleep step. With university, blogging, house work, and socialising, I find it hard to switch my brain off and relax in the evenings and in those moments, or sometimes hours, before bed. Therefore, I am always on the look out for products and ideas that help me nod off quickly and naturally for a great nights kip.

I start my nightly ritual with a full cleanse and moisturise of my face, as well as a nice hot cup of caffeine free camomile tea. I tend to begin the process of winding down in my bedroom with no tv or scrolling through social media (yes it’s very hard!), as bright lights can confuse your internal body clock into thinking it is still day time.

This is the part where I admit I am a fully grown adult who is still afraid of the dark, so I recently purchased a bright nightlight to go in the hall, as the normal lightbulb shines into my bedroom and again can disturb my sleep.

In terms of sleep-aids, the first product I want to mention is a self-heating eye mask which I was kindly sent by spacemasks.com*. This cute little pouch contained an eye mask that you simply unfold, pop the loops around your ears and relax. The interesting thing about Spacemasks is that once you open the pouch the iron layer inside the mask begins to react with the oxygen in the air, causing a natural heat exchange that lasts for around 15 minutes, clever hey! Each one also has a lovely subtle scent of Jasmine, that is just enough it doesn’t interfere with your sleep.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this mask, so after my tea I put my jim-jams on, got into bed and placed the mask over my eyes. The mask fitted very well over my ears and face. It blocked out pretty much all of the light (which I then switched off), and straight away I could feel the mask heating up, but only a little, and as comfortable as the material was I didn’t think much else about it.

Then, about a minute later my relaxation experience really started! The mask became beautifully warm, not uncomfortable at all and I could feel all my muscles unclenching. Not only that, I started to feel like my mind was actually drifting through space. It was a weird but extremely de-stressing experience that allowed my brain to stop thinking and focus on the calming movements. I can see why the packaging says Interstellar Relaxation! Making sure your body is at a suitable temperature is crucial for an easy nights sleep, and for someone who is generally a cold person (hopefully with a warm heart!), the heat from the Spacemask made me feel cosy and comfortable.

I would really recommend trying out a Spacemask, as I thoroughly enjoyed using it, and would 100% use one again and again and again. Even as I type, I’m planning to order a full box. They would be perfect for travelling when your packed into a small seat, when you have an early morning and need to get to sleep as quickly as possibly, or even as part of a pamper relaxation evening. It usually takes me an hour or two most nights to get to sleep, but wearing the Spacemask had me snoring like a baby in less than 15 minutes, and for £15 for five eye masks, I think that is a total bargain!

Along with my new found love for Spacemasks.com, I also use the Deep Sleep Pillow Spray by This Works. A few sprits of this lavender scented spray on a clean pillow helps promote natural sleep and is free from a variety of chemicals including sulphates and parabens. I love the smell of this spray, it has a very natural fragrance, and helps me create a routine that encourages my brain to get ready for bed.

Lastly, I have a quick search on YouTube for hour long ‘white noise’ songs that I play quietly in the background. I personally like anything that includes the sounds of running rivers and gentle breezes.

I understand not all of these options are feasible for everyone, but I think the blocking of strong light and the heat provided by the Spacemask are the most important steps to making yourself more comfortable and allowing full relaxation.

What do you do to get your beauty sleep?

*The Spacemask was sent for review purposes but I always give an honest review, where all opinions and views are 100% my own.

beauty sleep eyemasks lavender Skin Deep Skincare sleep spacemasks this works