How to Look Less Tired
I saw this picture on Pinterest a while ago, the title saying, "7 Makeup Tutorials to Make You Look Less Tired." Well obviously I clicked on it, because who doesn't want to look less tired? But once I got to the website I thought to myself: 'I don't want to LOOK less tired, I want to BE less tired.'
Have you ever wondered if the key to looking less tired is to not be tired? I bet you have, but you also probably thought that actually not being tired was just a pipe dream that'll never come true. Too bad if you thought that way then you were wrong.
Not being tired has nothing to do with how much sleep you get, it has everything to with with the quality of sleep your getting. If you've been feeling run down, or utterly exhausted, try some of these tips for better quality sleep, you might just be surprised.
1. Change Your Diet
No I do not mean GO on a diet. By adding a few easy changes you can seriously improve your sleep.
- Drink Water! This is the most important thing I can tell anyone, regardless of if it's for sleep or not. Water benefits the body in so many ways like improving your skin, helping you lose weight, it can get rid of headaches, and so much more; but when it comes to sleep it's more than invaluable. While you're sleeping your body is trying to rest, but if it has to much to do, like process sodium or sugar, or digest, than it can cause you to wake up feeling more tired than when you went to bed. By drinking water consistently throughout the day, you're promoting your body to all the processing, digesting, and healing it needs so that when you go to bed you can fully rest.
- Do not eat a big meal 1-2 hours before you go to sleep. Like I mentioned above, if your body has to digest something (especially a heavy dinner) than you'll be less likely to get a good nights rest.
- Swap out your afternoon coffee for an apple or a banana. Instead of overloading your system with caffeine closer to bed time, these power packed snacks have been proven to provide an energy boost, without having the ability to keep you up all night.
2. Lose the Technology
I know it can be tempting to stay up on your computer all night, or to keep playing candy crush until you absolutely can't anymore, but the key to getting better quality sleep is to turn off the tv, put your phone on your desk and shut the laptop down. Your body does have a sort of biological clock for sleeping, it knows it's time to go to bed when it gets dark outside. Technology has screwed up this bedtime clock by tricking your brain into thinking its still morning. When you stare at the screen of your computer, the bright light can make you feel more awake because your body thinks it's morning.
By shutting of technology 30 minute before you plan to go to bed, you give your brain time to adjust back, realize its night and that you're tired, and allow you to have a more restful sleep.
Think you'll be too bored in those 30 minutes? Think again.
3. Read
Reading anything, a book, magazine, or a newspaper, (not on an e-reader or iPad) can help you sleep. Reading tires the eyes which can help you go to sleep faster than you normally would have. If you don't love reading that makes it even better because you won't have to worry about being kept up late with a good book. If you do love to read, try reading book you've already read, so that you can sleep well knowing how the book ended.
4. Exercise
Some recent studies done by Dr. Kelly Glazer Baron, of the Fienberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, have shown that developing a daily exercise routine of about 30 minutes, and consisting of cardio, can increase the amount you sleep by about 45 minutes, and can make you feel less tired throughout the day.
Getting enough sleep is, in my opinion, one of the most important things you can do to live a healthy life. If you feel tired throughout the day, everyday, than what's the harm in trying out these four little tips?
Happy Sleeping
xoxo
AME
