By Kate Downes, LAc TCM Practitioner
Beauty sleep isn’t a myth! We all need plenty of good quality, restorative sleep each night to feel and look our best.
But, actually getting that beauty sleep can be a challenge. Our modern lifestyles are often full of go-go-go energy, stress, and overwhelm that make falling into a peaceful sleep feel impossible.
The good news is that you can use the ancient wisdom of Chinese medicine to step up your sleep game and improve your skin and mental health.
Read on to learn 3 ancient Chinese medicine secrets to get better sleep tonight - as well as how you can master one very special self-care therapy to restore your emotional balance anywhere, anytime!
Is Stress Sabotaging Your Sleep - And Skin?
A lack of sleep almost always correlates with increased levels of stress - and vice versa. With higher stress levels and not enough sleep, the body produces cortisol and other inflammatory proteins that wreak havoc on even the healthiest skin.
How? Stress hormones and inflammation can easily lead to increased acne breakouts. Studies even show that the more sleep deprived you are, the worse your acne may be. Unfortunately, the negative effects of poor sleep don’t just stop there. Lack of sleep is also linked to puffy eyes, dark circles, and faster aging. Not to mention increased anxiety and emotional stress.
To take back control of your mental health and your skin, it’s time to take control of your sleep! Thankfully, there are many simple nighttime rituals and TCM remedies to help you get the quality rest you need naturally.
3 TCM Nighttime Rituals to Make the Most of Your Beauty Sleep
Want to make the most of your beauty sleep? Embrace the yin of nighttime.
While the daytime is full of active yang energy, nighttime is yin: cool, dark, soft, relaxed, and quiet. Instead of spending your nights with stimulating yang activities (like watching TV or scrolling social media), embrace the quiet yin energy of nighttime to sleep better with these tips:
1. Practice gentle evening gua sha.
We’re huge fans of gua sha at Pink Moon. Not only does it do wonders for your skin, but it’s simple to use and instantly makes you feel relaxed and calm. That’s why we created the Pink Moon Spa Day. This complete gua sha trio offers our classic Pink Moon Facial Gua Sha Tool, YINA’s Bian Stone Body Gua Sha Tool, and our Over the Moon Facial Gua Sha Oil.
To learn how you can use gua sha as part of a powerful evening routine, join us for our Gua Sha for Emotional Health & Sleep Workshop. Find all the details below!
2. Sip a sleep tonic.
There’s nothing quite like a calming cup of tea to help you relax after a long day. While classic nighttime teas like chamomile and mint are perfect before bed, Chinese herbal medicine offers other herbal tea options that are even more soothing to help you fall asleep fast and naturally.
Our favorite TCM sleep tea is Five Seasons TCM’s Lullaby Calming Culinary Tonic Bags. Why? Because these tonics support your mind, body, and soul. A Lullaby tonic tea before bed promotes deep and restful sleep, while also calming mood swings and tension in your waking life.
3. Relax into sleep with meditation.
Skip the doom scrolling and “revenge bedtime procrastination.” Instead, use an ancient meditative practice to heal your mind and body as you fall asleep each night.
Yoga nidra and nei gong (an internal version of qi gong) use the power of meditation and peaceful awareness to calm your mind and body into a state of deep relaxation.To try it for yourself, get comfortable in your bed and listen to a guided yoga nidra or nei gong practice (like this one). You’ll be led through a body scan-type meditation that actively trains your body and mind to relax. With a quiet mind and restful body, you’ll easily drift into sleep.
Stress Less, Sleep Better, Heal Your Skin: Gua Sha for Emotional Health & Sleep Workshop with Kai Yim
Ready to transform your evening routine into a self care dream? Grab a mug of Lullaby Calming Tonic and join us on Saturday, August 28th at 4PM EST for our Gua Sha for Emotional Health & Sleep Workshop with Kai Yim!
Kai Yim, L.Ac and co-founder of Five Seasons TCM will lead you through a deep dive into gua sha for the emotional side of wellness. Along with the course, you’ll receive 2 sachets of Lullaby Tonic Bags and Pink Moon Midnight Melody Perfume Oil ($68 value) to help you start your new evening ritual off right.
Come curious, leave empowered. By the end of the course, you’ll be ready to use your gua sha tool as a natural self-therapy for issues like stress, anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, and general wellbeing.
