Womens_Health_Australia_December_2016

THE

SIX-YEAR

SWITCH

“Independent

research

shows that beds you’ve

hadforsixyearsoffer

significantly less support

and comfort than new

ones,” says Lisa Artis from

The Sleep Council, UK.

“Anewbedresultsina

third of the physical

movements and half the

micro-awakenings.” We

heart the super comfy,

superbreathableKoala

mattresses (double $850,

koalamattress.com.au).

For every mattress sold,

they adopt a koala.

PILLOW

TALK

Memory foam

pillows are

your friends,

says osteopath Chris

Blackburne. “Because

your head sinks into them

over a period of 20

minutes, they give tired

and stressed-out muscles

the opportunity to switch

off gradually.” Wash your

pillows every three

months, and replace them

after two years.

DOONA

DAY

We’re not

saying yours

is one of the

yuckyones,butsome

doonas have been found

toharbourupto20,000

live house dust mites,

as well as bacteria and

fungal spores. Ew. Wash

your feather quilt at

60°C (dry-cleaning

candamagethedown)

every three months with

anon-biodetergent.

Throwafewtennisballs

into the tumble dryer

t o k e e p i t b o u n c y.

PROJECT 2:

PROJECT 3:

Enhance your

sleep hygiene

Perfect your shower

Sleep hygiene (habits conducive to sleeping

well)isoneofthekeystoanightofcovering

your pillow in drool (in a good way).

You spend a lot of time in the shower, so you might as well do it right...

SMART

HOME

We’ve got smart

phones, smart cars,

why not smart

houses? Telstra Smart

Homeisasystemof

connected devices –

usinganapp,youcan

do everything from

turning appliances on

andoffevenwhen

you’re not home (no

more worrying you’ve

lefttheironon!)to

keepinganeyeon

your pets or kids with

videos when you’re

not there, and

receiving SMS alerts if

there’s unexpected

activity around your

home when you’re

away.Jetsons,eat

your heart out. To

findoutmore,goto

telstra.com.au/

smart-home.

1

“Keep the

temperature under

43°C,” says consultant

dermatologist

Dr Anjali Mahto.

Anything higher is

going to strip your

skin of its natural

moisture and oils.”

Rule of thumb:

if the bathroom

mirror is completely

misted, then the

temp is too high.

3

“Sevenminutesisthe

longest you should

shower,” says Mahto.

Needatimesaver?

Forget about letting

your conditioner soak

in. “The effects are

instant as the hair

molecules are already

swollen, making hair

more porous,” says

Katie Allan, creative

manager at Charles

Worthington Salons.

4

Stock your shower

shelveswitha

glycerine-based

moisturiser like

sorbolene to slather

on your skin while it’s

stillslightlydampto

lock in hydration.

When drying, pat,

don’trub,soyoudon’t

“slough off the

protective epidermal

layer of skin cells,”

says Mahto.WH

2

Stock your shower

with better suds.

While sodium lauryl

sulphate will dry

you out, products

containing

‘cocamidopropyl

betaine’, derived from

coconut oil, can be

better for sensitive

skin.WelikeTheBody

Shop Coconut Shower

Cream ($10.95,

thebodyshop.com.au).

DECEMBER 2016 womenshealth.com.au 41

Best Bodyhealth

WORDS: JESSICA SALTER; AMELIA JEAN JONES; EMMA PRITCHARD; ALICE ELLIS. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES