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January 2009
Winter Hibernation
Short, dark days; long nights; cosy flats. Don’t you just want to do like the bears and crawl into your cave for an extended winter’s sleep? Then just do it, because sleep can be a true fountain of youth.
The “good fairies” in your skin do not truly wake up until you lie down to rest. Your body’s own renovation brigades work at full force while you sleep. Your hormone metabolism stimulates cell division in the skin, working eight to 10 times faster at the night than during the day. Oestrogen is distributed in greater amounts in deep-sleep phases. This has a positive impact on the moisture balance in the skin. If your skin is well supplied with moisture, then it is more resistant to temperature changes. It looks healthier and small fine lines disappear. During the dark of the night, melatonin is also very active in your skin. Like a magic pill, it smoothes out impurities and heals minor skin damage. Support your skin’s regeneration by using a night crème that can quietly penetrate and do its work while you sleep.
If you can manage it, take a few quiet moments also during the day. A power nap now and then is twice as effective with damp pads on the eyelids. The pads make it darker, helping you to fall asleep, and the gentle, cool pressure is comfortable and relaxing. But your power nap should not last longer than 15 minutes otherwise the body will adjust to a longer sleep phase and feel more tired than refreshed.
Wear light clothing during your beauty sleep. Fresh air can also stimulate the skin’s metabolism. Heat and moisture congestion don’t have a chance. If you have a balcony or a garden, then take a warm blanket with you and have your afternoon power nap outside on your chaise longue chair. The fresh air strengthens your bronchial tubes against colds and ensures a rosy complexion. In the evening, even when it is cold, sleep with the window open instead of closed surrounded by dry, heated air from your house heater. Your immune system will thank you. As soon as the days become longer, you can sleep late and see the light of day noticeably rejuvenated.
Or you can double the effect and abandon yourself luxuriantly to that feeling of springtime lethargy.
