Friday, September 25, 2009

Stress Series Part 2: Getting Our Beauty Sleep


Lately it seems to me that sleep is such a valuable commodity, I wish I could bottle and sell it. So many of my clients are having problems with sleeping properly during this season of so much change. This Vata weather must have induced a restlessness in us not only conjuring up sleeplessness but also some anxious, Vata thoughts.

"I just lay awake at night thinking about all the things I have to do. I get really stressed out them- then I start thinking about how my lack of sleep is making me break out, and I get really stressed out about that!" one of my clients told me on the massage table.

"I work until 2am at night sometimes - you'd think I'm exhausted, but I actually am wired just thinking: What am I doing with my life?" another said to me.

And this lack of sleep doesn't only make us feel less energetic, less healthy and less focused - but it also makes us break out, our skin dehydrated and signs of aging accelerate.

This was a topic which came up during a seminar on Anti-aging I attended while in New York last week attending the annual HBA trade show. (The actual talk was about Sirtuins and Stem Cells in skincare led by a panel of cosmetic research scientists representing Estee Lauder and a handful of stand alone research companies).

I found this very interesting because one researcher discussed the concept of Circadian Rhythm on our skin which is a known factor in Ayurveda and other alternative schools of thought, but now was being explained in scientific terms (Did I mention this was from people who were talking about stem cells in skincare?). He and his team had been particularly interested in their study of "clock genes" which are found within our cells and allow synchronization of cellular activity with the Circadian Cycle. (For those of you who are not familiar with Circadian Rhythm, it is the 24 hour cycle which outlines how our bodies behave through the day and their physiological changes.) In relation to the skin, they observed how we repaired at night as these clock genes induce protective antioxidants.

Each cell has its own clock which was governed by a part of the brain called the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus, which understands "night" in relation to light, food and activity in our bodies, and is found in the Hypothalamus ("The Master Clock"). Also note that the Hypothalamus is a communicator between the Nervous System and the Hormonal system.

They observed that when clock genes were synchronized with the Circadian Clock, it enhanced the skin's resistance to UV damage and enabled our cells to restore themselves. But that clock genes could not synchronize after Sun burn as UV damage caused DNA damage (!). So, there goes the hopes for sunbathing sans sunscreen after a good night's rest.

To me this was all so interesting - firstly because I'm as a Vainitista, it really reinforced the necessity of getting to bed instead of watching old episodes of Mad Men on the Internet - but Secondly, because science proved Ayurvedic dictations again - as the effect of Time of Day has been known for thousands of years and the importance of sleep for repair a given. Ayurveda's ideology coincides with the idea of Circadian Rhythm as each Dosha expresses itself at different times of the day and this influences our bodies greatly.

Kapha is strongest at 6am-10am and 6pm-10pm
Pitta is strongest at 10am-2pm and 10pm-2am
Vata is strongest at 2am- 6am and 2pm-6pm

This is the basis Ayurvedic recommendations on lifestyle. For example:

- Waking up during Kapha time in the morning flushes out our lethargy in the morning (accounts for why we feel like tired, heavy Kaphas when we over-sleep).
- Eating our biggest meal during Pitta time in the afternoon (lunch) will help us digest our food as our digestive fire is at its height with Pitta energy. We should also not eat heavily after sun down (approx. 6pm) as Kapha again is at its peak and will not move food through our systems well.
- Sleeping before early during Kapha evening time (before 10pm) helps us sleep well and avoids being awake and active during Vata time (2am) in which our Vata energy will not allow our minds to be at peace.

Ayurveda also states that this clock can expose our imbalances. If you have troubles falling asleep - you have excess Vata in your body, but if you fall asleep and wake up, it is an excess Pitta (heat) issue.

So while we may think staying up can help us get ahead giving us more time to work, to plan and to troubleshoot, a lack of sleep damages our energetic balance and depletes our tissues. And while its easier said than done, disciplining ourselves to turn off our mental activity will help us preserve our health. So put on your PJs a little earlier tonight, if not for proper Doshic behaviour, for more beautiful skin.

Monday, September 21, 2009

See you on Friday

As I have just returned from New York City (with bundles of beauty science news!), I will be posting on Friday.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Stress Series Part 1: Don't Push Me Cuz I'm Close to the Edge, Trying Hard Not to Lose My Head

So Grand Master Flash is speaking from the view of living in the projects, and I'm speaking from the view of being a young career gal in downtown Toronto - but its safe to say that we're both stressed.

Stress oh, stress. Its one of those afflictions which are so easy to aid because its within in our own control to limit, but so hard because its up to our control to limit. And I admit, I'm the worse when it comes to stress management - I sometimes feel I have made a sport of worrying. No, I definitely am not a person who easily goes with the flow.

"Kristen gets many things done, but she insists on making herself so uncomfortable doing it," my mother announced at a family dinner last week. This was a response to being told that my easy going cousin lets life fall into place and somehow always ends up successful.

But I find it so difficult to put my thoughts in a drawer and leave them there for another time. There are so many pressures today that I think many of us feel like we are in a space of going somewhere instead of being somewhere (this is something I have only recently began to overcome). And in this Vata weather I think its amplified. So many of my clients this week have come into the spa breaking out and telling me about their anxieties as they juggle work, relationships, children and change. And of course, on top of this, as many of them are uber ambitious and self-aware, they also take extra courses, volunteer, network and worry about worrying so much. But often this time-poverty also is married with forgetting to care for themselves; skipping meals, forgoing sleep and losing their hair.

And while I have known for many years now that I need to make a point of calming down - recently it really impressed itself upon me while reading the book "Your Life is in Your Hands" by Dr. Krishan Chopra (Father of Deepak) outlined a study conducted on rats to study the effect of stress on our tissues. One group of lab rats were used as a control group, and one group was put under stress by being put into a tank of water for a few minutes everyday to stimulate the stress of drowning. What they found was that these stressed out rats would experience dramatic physical changes within three weeks or less. their hearts, livers, lungs and other organs would harden and become dark and fibrous. If the experiment persists, these rats also will die of "old age" as opposed to the normal, control group of rats who live for two to three years! The effects of stress on our bodies is extremely damaging to their function and health.

In vain terms: this depletion of our tissues will affects our skin and bodies, aging our skin faster than an IPL pulse! And I take this very seriously because God knows I just had an eye bag competition with one of our clients at our Midnight Madness sale yesterday. ("I have bad eye bags!" "What?! No, no, I have bad eye bags!")

So as much work as we put into exercise, eating well, getting monthly facials, performing our skincare regimes and making-up our faces, we need to put into committing to resting our minds. I know, not an easy task.

To quote the wise Mr. Flash: Its like a jungle sometimes and I wonder how I keep from going under.

My next few posts are devoted to discussing how to "keep from going under"...and look great doing it. Feel free to post comments on stress-relieving practices you find useful or you would like me to explore.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Ending up with egg on my face

I have not been sleeping well lately. I think its the Vata time of year. Vata is the air element which governs movement in around our bodies, propelling change and activity. Summer moving into fall is a time of change and transition - a join in time if you will - and during this time we will have a tendency to feel stimulated, restless and possibly overwhelmed.

Well, my skin has exhibited this accurately as it looks tired. And today - as its my day off and I'm feeling in need of some rejuvenation, what better way pamper myself than to do a home-made mask?

As a Beauty Aficionado (Self-proclaimed), I feel its my duty to experiment in the kitchen with fresh, easy-to-do treatments. And despite Ben getting confused to why I have a litre of Apple cider vinegar at the side of the tub (hair rinse) and even more perplexed with the sesame oil next to my toothbrush (oil gargling), its unveiled some very interesting discoveries.

So, feeling a bit like an unmade bed of a person, I pump up Eurythmics and look around to see what I have in my fridge.

Avocados? Too messy for today.
Bananas? Didn't really see results last time
Eggs? Perfect!

Its decided - I will do an Egg White Mask. Egg whites are full of protein and contain Lysozyme, which has been said to account for digesting bacterial cell walls, marry this with the claims its fantastic for absorbing oil (what I did it for in the past) - and its the perfect little skin pack.

And its as easy as 1-2-3

1. Crack egg into bowl separating out the yolk. And at first crack you feel good that its fresh, preservative-free and creates no unbiodegrable waste.
2. Apply onto skin. You will find one egg more than enough - to do your face, neck and decolletage.
3. Wait. Sweet Dreams are made of this - doo -doo -doo.

Now, you can't do much while you have this mask on - and while I usually like to multi-task, leaving masks on while I work, clean and cook - this mask is so tightening that it feels like you are on a rollercoaster ride, wind suctioning at your skin. You move your facial muscles, impeding the ability to speak, taste or wince at all with it on.

The egg whites will dry clear and look like you have saran on your skin. You will know it is done when there is no trace of wetness on the surface(15 mins approx.). I advise to wash it off in the shower so you can be thorough as it takes a few rinses to remove. After the treatment my skin felt so much smoother and my pores tighter. The tiredness to my complexion was relieved as the mask seemed more hydrated as well.

Now, I have read reviews in which people claim it erased their wrinkles and diminished their pores - and I definitely won't say its that effective. It is a mask which only treats the superficial layers of our skin. But for pennies per application and the no-fuss freshness, I certainly don't mind ending up with egg on my face.