How To Sleep #OlaySwitchOff |AD

I really struggled to decide what to call this post because I am SO not an expert at sleeping. In fact, I am horrible at it! My partner is the most talented sleeper I know. His head hits the pillow and he’s gone. Jealous does not begin to describe how I feel about the situation! I have rather a lot of trouble falling asleep and then staying asleep. It is literally the worse night-time combination and so when I was asked to work with Olay on their #OlaySwitchOff campaign, I thought it might be a great opportunity to sort out my problems. The offer of seeing a sleep doctor was one I couldn’t ignore!

So ‘Olay Switch Off’ is the campaign created around the launch the new night cream, the Olay Regenerist 3 Point Age-Defying Night Cream. It focuses on switching off our over-active, tech-overloaded brains and switching on our skin energy using Olay Regenerist Skin Energising technology. This works at a cellular level to re-energise and regenerate the skin.

The Sleep Clinic – How to Sleep

To kick off my Olay Switch Off trial, I went to visit to Dr Nerina at her Nightingale Hospital clinic to discuss the sleep questionnaire I had sent her. Dr Nerina is amazing and identified that my inability to sleep stemmed largely from my relationships with food, caffeine, technology, and alcohol. We discussed strategies to improve these relationships and set some boundaries to improve my chances of not only getting to sleep but also staying asleep.

Goals:

• Consistently eat breakfast within 30 minute of rising – include a source of protein
• No cups of tea or coffee after 3pm
• Cut back on alcohol – just 1 glass of prosecco in the evening!
• Increase hydration, with lemon if possible
• Stop using laptop and iPhone at 9pm (!!!!)
• Earlier to bed – ideally around 10.30-11pm

Now these might seem pretty achievable to a normal person, but I am SO not a normal person. I am literally on my laptop and phone until the early hours, I have no respect for the value of sleep and I feel like life would not be the same without my fizz. Nerina was pretty easy on me with these goals, as my lifestyle is pretty extreme at the moment, and I need to start somewhere.

#OlaySwitchOff Techniques to Sleep

On top of this, I have started my trial of the Olay Regenerist 3 Point Age-Defying Night Cream teamed with the ‘Lights Out’ massage created by facialist Anastasia Achilleos. I do all my skincare in terms of cleansing, toning, exfoliating and serums etc., then I get into bed with my pot of Olay!

I lay in the bed with my hands on my chest and do some deep breathing. Then I get a blob of Olay, warm it in my hands and start this facial massage whilst continually deep breathing:

• Slide palms up and over the forehead, out to the temples, following the hairline down to the chin. Repeat for 30 seconds
• Place your fingertips to your forehead again   – this time, rest your palms on the cheekbone and press inward toward the cheekbone with  your palm
• Next, apply a little pressure and push the base of your palms (and cheekbones) up slightly – hold for 10 seconds before  releasing
• Now, pinch your eyebrows with your thumb beneath the brow and index finger above.  Hold this position for 10 seconds whilst taking deep breaths
• Continue to gently pinch your brow bone and release, slowly moving out towards temples
• Using both thumbs, finish with three small clockwise circles at each temple

Now I have been trying to be good for the last week, and I have to say, if I have followed all the guidelines – not had too much caffeine, fizz & tech – then at the end of this massage I am feeling pretty sleepy.

I have been reading a book – How to be Parisienne – as an alternative to flicking through my phone, and a couple of times I have actually struggled to keep my eyes open. It is early days, but things are looking good. I shall be following this for a couple of weeks and will report back about improvements in my sleep and skin. I am going back to see Dr Nerina in the last week of September to assess how things are going.

So far the worst thing is switching off my laptop at 9pm. I keep fantasising about the work that I could and should be doing and am feeling intense separation anxiety, as ridiculous as it sounds. I am sure this will get better as I get used to it and perhaps start to appreciate how much more productive I can be if I actually manage to make good quality sleep a consistent part of my life. Let’s see!

Olay Regenerist 3 Point Age-Defying Night Cream is £29.99 and available at Boots now. There’s a 3 for 2 deal at the mo.

Ree

XXX

*This post is sponsored by P&G