SLEEP AND BEAUTY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23340, 4 November 1937, Page 19

SLEEP AND BEAUTY

REMEDIES FOR THE RESTLESS Some surprising facts have been brought out by the studies of scientists who have been investigating the mystery of sleep. The investigators tell us that people easily learn to sleep in a lighted room, states an overseas writer. They say that there is no such thing as an ideal sleeping posture. (Good news to one who loves to curl up!) They say that the healthiest sleepers are those who toss about and change position 40 or 50 times during a night's rest. In this way each set of muscles is relaxed and every part of the body thoroughly rested in turn. Hence restlessness is not an indication of poor sleep; but there are conditions which cause you to wake up in the morning feeling cross and unrefreshed —such things as noisy, heavy bed covers, a poor mattress, excessive warmth or cold. You may wonder why all this interests a beauty specialist. I'll tell you. Sleep is the greatest rejuvenator in the world. Compare the wilted version of yourself which you see in the evening mirror with your bright morning face—wrinkles all ironed out, eyes bright, lips with an upward lift at the corners, skin displaying its prettiest cream and rose tints. You will observe an amazing difference between your tired, droopy, end-of-the-day face and the refreshed one you see after a good night's rest. Most of us spend about one-third of our time in bed. Certain great men have said that four hours' sjeep a night was enough, but in every case their habits did not support their theory Edison napped during the day, Napoleon slept in his chair, and Wellington fell asleep even during meals. Nature needs plenty of time for her repair work, and if she doesn't get six or eight hours on the average every night, she takes her due in the daytime. Any girl who hc.s had too many late nights in succession knows that after a while she is not only drowsy and yawning, but her eyes begin to look circled and puffy, her skin loses its clear translucence and becomes opaque and dull, even her hair begins to look dead. You cannot overdraw your sleep account without penalty any more than you can your bank account. Now I can hear the insomniacs mutter that it is all right to counsel eight hours of slumber, but what about those who cannot sleep? It is simple to beguile sleep by such sweet devices as perfume on the pillow. The fragrance sends your thoughts down pleasant paths, and presto! you are lost in dreams. Some people swear by a palatable hot drink at bedtime, and one friend of mine, after years of insomnia, discovered thdt she slept like a top after taking 20 deep breaths at an open window! It is as simple as that. If you are one of those tense people who insist on holding themselves on the bed instead of letting it hold them, relaxation exercises are the thing for Some people have nervous skins that itch or burn and keep them awake. One reason for this is that the skin is likely to be dry. A warm bath with a mild soap relieves the nervous tension of this type of skin and supplies comforting moisture. The soothing feel of a scented bath powder is restful to some: others prefer to use a little oil or cream. A few minutes massage of the face and scalp makes some women sleepy; others find that merely smoothing cream over the eyelids makes the eyes' feel drowsy and heavy, and soon sends them to sleep. I recommend this to everybody because, even if it does not cure your insomnia, it will keep away the little lines that etch themselves around the eyes—the first sign of age! So if you are not sleeping well, the sooner you find out the remedy the better.