Recent research has shown that there is such a thing as beauty sleep – and that it is important. A couple of bad nights were enough to make a person look ‘significantly’ less attractive, the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found, adding that dark-circled ‘panda eyes’ and puffy lids can even put others off socialising with you.
In the research, people were rated by strangers as less healthy and approachable when they had tired faces as a result of broken sleep patterns.
The subjects were given kit to measure their sleep; told to have two good nights’ sleep and, a week, later, two nights of just four hours’ sleep, the BBC reported. After each session, they were photographed without make-up. Then a panel of strangers was asked to rate them on attractiveness, health, sleepiness and trustworthiness, as well as been asked: “How much would you like to socialise with this person in the picture?”
The panel was good at judging if the person they were looking at was tired, and, if they were sleepy, their attractiveness score suffered. The strangers also said they would be less willing to socialise with the tired students, who they also perceived to be less healthy, Royal Society Open Science journal reports.
Lead researcher Dr Tina Sundelin told the BBC: “An unhealthy-looking face, whether due to sleep deprivation or otherwise, might activate disease-avoiding mechanisms in others.”
She said this makes sense in evolutionary terms while Dr Gayle Brewer, a psychology expert at the University of Liverpool and member of the British Psychological Society, said: “Judgment of attractiveness is often unconscious, but we all do it, and we are able to pick up on even small cues like whether someone looks tired or unhealthy. This study is a good reminder of how important sleep is to us.”
There are many things that prevent us from having a good night’s sleep – ranging from the pressures of modern life and using social media in bed to anxiety about exams, job interviews and other stressful situations. But, says the National Council for Hypnotherapy, clinical hypnotherapy can help people overcome these issues and get a good night’s rest on a regular basis.
During a hypnotherapy session, an NCH-registered therapist will relax you, make you feel comfortable and work with you towards achieving your goal. The NCH has almost 2,000 highly-trained and insured therapists across the UK, all qualified to deal with a myriad of issues.
Says the NCH: “After a session you may feel uplifted, lighter and very relaxed. Often change is very subtle, as your hypnotherapist will be working with your subconscious mind, and you may just notice a very positive shift in how you are feeling.”
In treatment sessions for anxiety and stress, the therapist will set you a goal asking how you wish to feel, how you would like to be, and things that you would chose to do in your life if you were free of anxiety.
“They will then work with you to reach your goals using a range of different techniques. Every therapist may use slightly different techniques, but working towards the same goal. After sessions with a hypnotherapist you may feel more confident; more relaxed in situations that have previously challenged you.
“Many people say that they are calmer and that they have more clarity of thought – able to make decisions more easily. People who have experienced side effects of anxiety such as insomnia, find that they are sleeping much better and as a result are able to work more effectively.”
If you are ready to catch up on your beauty sleep and are ready to explore ways of freeing yourself from anxiety and living a fulfilled and happy life, look up an NCH therapist near you by clicking here. It will be worth it.