Humans can’t go forth without night-time rest to enable body repair. Maximise the opportunity for healing with a feather mattress topper that will make you feel like you’re sleeping on a cloud, distributing your weight and easing aches and pains. (Foam-based toppers are better for those prone to feeling chilly.)
Resting will be easier if you know you’ve done due diligence with your skin, too, so make Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair a key part of your night-time beauty routine. Apply this serum after cleansing your face before bed and you can rest easy, safe in the knowledge that this beauty-sleep-in-a-bottle is doing all the hard work. Your other go-to accessory? Once a week, give your skin a reboot with Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery PowerFoil Mask. This indulgent beauty treat allows you to offset the visible effects of life’s daily grind, refreshing the look of your skin. Finally, practice a little aromatherapy and invest in pure essential oils that aid relaxation, such as geranium, rose and lavender. Use them to condition your hands and feet – another way to shore up the rejuvenating powers of sleep.
To combat grittier rest issues, turn to solution apps, wearable tech and audio. As much as your partner would never admit to snoring, if you gently explain that their night-time habits are keeping you awake they might be open to exploring a solution. Play the supportive other half by suggesting they try an app called Braci, which will send gentle vibrations to their smartwatch in response to their snoring pattern, encouraging them to move into a peaceful position.
A good hypnosis audio can also transform your experience if you find it hard to get to sleep, or stay there. “We know that it’s possible to retrain the brain, replacing negative thoughts and behaviours with empowering and positive habits,” says Tim Smale, a hypnotherapist and “mind coach” with a reputation for getting politicians and popstars through stage fright, stress and insomnia. “Using the right sleep audio, anyone can learn to hypnotise themselves to fall asleep with ease. Ambient soundtracks, such as waves, birdsong and crackling fires, can help relax the mind, too – keep the noise level low though.”
New headphones that mould around your ears, pillows that embed a small speaker, and earphones integrated into a headband all make downloaded night sounds comfortable to administer, and unobtrusive to bedfellows. Himalayan salt lamps also make it on to the tech-shopping list, providing a soothing ambient light.
Back to straight-up pampering, a pre-bed spa-like bath is mandatory. Featuring luxuriously scented candles, soft music and gorgeous oils to calm the mind, Himalayan salt to relax muscles and prime the skin. A less obvious item is the floating temperature gauge. “I have a ‘thermometer starfish’ that tells me when the water is at the optimum heat for relaxation,” says Jeni Dodson, an international makeup artist who’s used to overcoming the rigours of being on the road.
Busy life coach and writer Fiona Buckland, who’s often in transit, rates a bean-filled eye pillow as her go-anywhere sleep accessory. “It’s about comfort, and also association,” she says. “An eye pillow is part of my sleep ritual, in the same way a soft toy is when you’re young. The feel of it, the lovely lavender scent, it signals my mind where we’re about to go.”
