What is Beauty Sleep?

Define your Beauty Sleep ritual

Decompressing after a long day is not necessarily easy. We each have our own way of doing things and our sources of recovery and serenity.

Moment of beauty, intellectual relaxation and bodily relaxation : at Dr. Pierre Ricaud, we invite you to allow yourself three pleasant moments in the evening, before going to bed.

A moment of beauty

Give yourself a moment of disconnection and beauty . Fully present and in the moment, give your full attention to what you are doing. For example, you can remove your make-up or carry out your night ritual by candlelight, with background music, or on the contrary in total silence.

Slow down the pace and make slow movements. Apply your night face care by gently massaging your skin. In addition to relaxing you , these delicate movements promote blood micro-circulation . Choose facial treatments that are pleasant to apply and adapted to your skin type (for combination skin, oily skin or dry skin).

A moment of physical relaxation

Discover the recommended gestures of sophrology:

Lying on your bed, close your eyes and feel the pressure points of your body on the mattress. Relax your muscles, and let your body sink into the mattress. Imagine your heavy body, very heavy…

Gradually relax each part of your body: start with the head, then the neck, shoulders, arms, and hands to the fingertips. Continue with the plexus and diaphragm, abdomen, back, pelvis and glutes. Then relax your thighs, your legs, and finally your feet to their ends.

Pay full attention to your breathing:

Take a deep, slow breath in through your nose and expand your belly; then blow slowly through your mouth, all the way. Watch your belly rise and fall, like a wave of relaxation. Inhale for a count of 5 and exhale for a count of 10. Imagine exhaling black, gray or smoke, whatever you no longer want and imagine drifting away.

Inhale for 5 seconds, hold your breath for 10 seconds, then exhale for 5 seconds. Repeat these breathing cycles for 2-3 minutes.

Inhale quietly and exhale while visualizing or hearing the number 10, then inhale again and exhale on the number 9, and so on until 1. Then do 2 more sets of this exercise, from 10 to 1.

Contract all the muscles of the body for a few moments, from the head to the feet. Breathe out and release.

A moment of intellectual relaxation

Fill your worry box:

With your body relaxed, imagine a box placed on the bedside table or at the foot of the bed. Visualize its size, its colors, its material. Imagine that you put all the thoughts that prevent you from falling asleep into this box. Add one thought at a time, and as many as needed. When all thoughts are in this boundless box, close it and leave it where it is.

Visualize a pleasant situation:

Think of a pleasant situation, a place that you like, and in which you feel good. Imagine the environment, the colors, the noises and the smells. Try to visualize as many details as possible, to make this situation as real as possible for your mind. Then inhale slowly while mentally pronouncing the word “calm”, then exhale while mentally pronouncing the word “sleep”. Enjoy this state of well-being and relaxation.

Other Tips

Discover all our tips for having beautiful skin as soon as you wake up, and adopt a quick and easy nighttime skincare routine .

1. How to apply your night cream?

2. To properly apply your night cream, follow these different steps:

Step 1: remove make-up and cleanse the skin of your face and neck;

Step 2: take a dab of your night cream on your fingertips and gently apply it all over the face and neck, from the inside out and from the bottom up;

Step 3: massage your face, relax your cheeks by massaging the jawbones with your fingers, in a circular manner (on each side of the jaw). Finally, smooth your forehead with your fingertips, from the inside out. You can repeat these gestures three times .

How to choose the right anti-wrinkle day cream?

After a good night’s sleep, opt for an effective anti-wrinkle day cream adapted to your skin . Dry and/or dehydrated skin, combination to oily skin, normal or sensitive skin… To be certain of choosing the most suitable beauty products for your skin type, remember to first carry out your skin diagnosis .

Then choose your anti-wrinkle day cream according to your needs : a day cream for the first fine lines , for wrinkles and deep wrinkles , or for mature skin, during and after menopause .