How Sleep, Relaxation, and Meditation Affect Your Beauty Inside and Out (Infographic)
A lack of sleep is sucking a day of positive productivity each week from nearly half of all Americans. According to a 2014 study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, “45 percent of Americans say that poor or insufficient sleep affected their daily activities at least once in the past seven days.”
Sleep is vital to the body. Studies have shown that motor skill abilities sharpen after a night of good sleep. However, a deprivation of sleep causes the brain to lack focus and concentration and also comprises the immune system, putting the body at risk for illness.
Sleep also affects growth. Deep sleep induces the pituitary gland to release growth hormones in children, teens and young adults. Kids do, in fact, grow overnight…and sleep encourages that growth.
Sleep duration affects the body’s internal clockwork, but stress—which can lead to a night of less sleep—also takes a nasty toll on physical appearance. Beauty may only be skin deep, but skin under great stress results in a reflection worthy of a good long weep.
Stress isn’t sexy and it definitely isn’t pretty. Failure to clock enough shut eye from a night awake stressing over daily problems can leave the face prone to acne, wrinkles and sagginess. Eyes become puffy. And, of course, dark circles appear under the eyes adding to the droopy appearance.
The body needs sleep and daily relaxation to lower stress levels and help encourage healing and overall wellness. Americans also need more sleep and times of meditative relaxation to promote good mental and emotional health, because quiet relaxation helps center the mind and calm the mood.
Sleep and relaxation techniques also help us look good. The body does, in fact, need beauty rest…and lots of it! Most adults between the ages of 18 to 64 need on average seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
While most adults think that lost sleep during the week can be cashed in by sleeping late on the weekend, the reality is that lost sleep is irreplaceable. The body needs the same amount of sleep each night, so binge sleeping during Saturday morning doesn’t make up for the productivity that was lost on a Tuesday night.
Be good to the body. Treat it to a long restful slumber every night and extra moments of relaxation during days of high stress. Enjoy the healthful benefits that sleep and relaxation techniques provide the body, and revel in the beautiful returns that rest provides the reflection in the morning mirror.
