Now I see the secret of the making of the best people, It is to grow in the open air, and to eat and sleep with the earth.

-Walt Whitman 1900

     Hello! Tonight I would like to share some information I've found from 1901 on sleep- a vital practice. But also, if done right, it can be one of the most powerful cosmetic tools: Beauty Sleep.


  We are often told that getting enough sleep is vital to our health and well being. The amount of sleep each age group needs has been calculated down to scientific numbers. But is just getting the right amount of sleep all there is to this healing process?

  In 1901 Ella Adelia Fletcher wrote about how the want of sleep effects a woman's health and beauty so seriously that no other part of a healthy life style regimen should receive more attention. Yet she saw it being treated in a "happy-go-lucky fashion"which is harmful. And today people's sleeping habits have deteriorated even further. Ella also claimed that when you wake you are tired, perhaps even more then when you went to sleep, you should consider that as much as a health warning as insomnia. But of course she didn't leave us without helpful advice on how to improve our sleep.

  Nature's Example- Which for a large percent of creation is to be awake when the sun is out and to sleep when it is dark. The body has many different chemical reactions to light and darkness and studies have shown that sleeping at night when there is complete darkness promotes deep truly restful sleep.

 Fresh Air- Here Miss Fletcher was adamant- You must have fresh air circulating through your sleeping area during the night. A current of fresh air is created by two air ways on opposite walls or in two adjoining rooms. You see, if there is no circulation your exhalations as you sleep will hover over the bed until you are breathing in poisonous carbon dioxide laden air. So in the morning you awake feeling exhausted, for your blood is full of impurities. So for a cleansing and purifying night's rest create a current of fresh air. You will find it easier to wake up and your reflection will bear witness to the health benefits as well.

 Balanced Fatigue- Have you ever found that after a day of hard studying you feel exhausted, yet when you lay down in your bed that night you find yourself tossing and turning restlessly? There is a simple explanation. In order to truly rest there must be a balanced and equal use of the body and mind throughout the day. This balance can be easily achieved by making " the exercise of the one be the relaxation of the other. That is, the brain worker must find his relaxation in physical exercise, and those engaged in manual labor should find their pleasure in some use of the brain."

  Please try to incorporate these habits into your life for I know you will be blessed by them. I really believe that it isn't just the amount of sleep that you get that matters but the quality of your sleep that matters. Quality sleep definitely improves our physical beauty so we can look and feel better.

 Sweet dreams and until next time I remain
                                                                                         yours truly,