How To Properly Unplug And Really Relax

According to neuroscientist Professor Gaby Badre, we can make up for a lack of sleep with a nap: “It’s not how many hours’ sleep you have during the night, but the amount of sleep you get during 24 hours,” she says. But there are rules to follow to make sure that your nap leaves you energized, not groggy. We sleep in rolling 90-minute periods, so when napping, set your alarm for either 20 minutes (before the brain reaches a deeper level of sleep) or 90 minutes, which is one full cycle of light-deep-light sleep. Wake up mid-cycle and you’ll feel worse, not refreshed. The best time to nap is between 1pm and 4pm, when the body’s energy levels dip and we naturally feel sleepy. I personally recommend the This Works Sleep Power Nap Spray, as it uses the same brilliant aromatic blend as the brand’s famous Deep Sleep Pillow Spray (how did we sleep before it?) to help you drift off sooner and maximize your nap time.

With the right added extras, a warm bath becomes full-on therapy for mind, body and soul. London-based Dr. Barbara Kubicka, author of The Bath Project, creates her wonderful ‘bath prescriptions’ to achieve everything from moisturization to exfoliation with a mix of essential oils, herbal-tea infusions and treatment salts. Adding milk, manuka honey, 200g of Dead Sea salts and some vitamin E to your tub helps nourish winter-dry skin, while using an infusion of chamomile tea (from tea bags), 200g Himalayan salts and apricot-kernel oil helps hydrate skin and body. Alternatively, the new Pursoma Unplug Bath Soak is pre-blended to treat a weary mind and body. “We use French green clay to remove toxins and re-mineralize the body, plus lemon verbena to calm and clear overloaded senses,” says founder Shannon Vaughn. “Before bed, put your phone on airplane mode and relax in a hot bath for 20 minutes. Then, when you get out you will sweat, so you need to rest – the clay in the Bath Soak causes you to sweat out toxins. Then go to bed and you’ll wake up revitalized.”

A lack of sleep and an increase in stress leave skin ultra-dehydrated, as both these factors impact the vital skin barrier, making it more porous and allowing moisture to evaporate. Hydrating serums give dry skin a quick hit of moisture, but what’s really needed is a good cream or mask that helps rebuild your skin’s natural barrier. My super-dry-skin prescription is this: use a very gentle (read: tingle-free) peel pad to remove any rough skin surface; I love Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Ultra Gentle Daily Peel. Follow with a couple of layers of a favorite hyaluronic acid serum (mine include Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair and anti-inflammatory Femmue Balanced Moments Serum), and finish with a generous application of a good cream, such as Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream, the classic La Mer moisturizer or, at night, the skin-transforming Sisley Velvet Sleeping Mask.

It’s a classic yoga technique that helps balance, energize or calm the mind and body as needed – and it works. Focus on your inhalation and exhalation, counting the length of both; slowing your breath down helps to relax you, but you shouldn’t feel breathless. Then adjust the lengths of your breaths depending on your goals. To feel more balanced, make your in-breath the same length as your out-breath. If you want to relax, focus on ensuring that the out-breath is one or two counts longer than the in-breath; if you want more energy, consciously make your in-breath the longer one. Do this focused breathing for a few minutes whenever needed.

“The right oil can change the brain chemistry and make changes on a cellular level,” says Annee de Mamiel, acupuncturist and healing facialist specializing in Traditional Chinese Medicine. “Researchers studying depression found that certain citrus fragrances boost feelings of wellbeing by modulating levels of norepinephrine, a mood-affecting hormone. Add a few drops of citrus oil to a tissue and inhale throughout the day. Frankincense essential oil is also wonderful to help you mentally reset.”

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