The Best Rest List

By Ning Chao

You're an efficiency expert who swears by conference calls and books on tape, all while reaching your target heart rate on the treadmill. Luckily, there's multitasking you can do in your sleep: your beauty maintenance. Lack of restful sleep affects everything: mood, weight, immune system, and certainly the way you look, says Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., author of Beauty Sleep. "And, unfortunately, every woman's fluctuating hormones guarantee at least two to three nights of bad sleep a month." The good news? Quality counts as much as quantity.

Here, some snooze enhancers that guarantee you wake up refreshed — whether for the boardroom or breakfast with your boyfriend.

Clear Conscience
Before falling asleep, your body lowers its core temperature by sweating, according to Breus. "Perspiration hydrates, but an oil- and sweat-soaked pillow can cause breakouts," he says. For a flawless complexion, always remove makeup before bed, change pillowcases weekly (avoid nonabsorbent polyester), and refresh linen between washes with an antimicrobial spray like Borba's Atomizer Linen, Face and Body Reviving Mist. If you're acne-prone, avoid memory foam pillows. "When you sweat in memory foam, it has no place to go, and you basically sleep in it," warns Breus. To shrink pimples overnight, try an acne treatment with liquid-bandage technology — Clean & Clear Advantage Invisible Acne Patches form an invisible film on the skin that flattens spots and speeds healing.

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