Tired of looking (and feeling) tired? Me too! And while I love me some makeup, there's only so much my concealer can do. I have a tendency to wake up early (thanks to my husband's 5:30am alarm) and go to bed late (thanks to my crazy work schedule). This combo makes for a very tired Caitlin. But aside from changing my morning routine and work habits, I decided to investigate other ways to help me look fresh-faced. So lo and behold, here are my top six tips for getting your beauty sleep.

Tip #1: Create a relaxing dream environment

Did you know that the blue light emitted from your phones screen can disrupt your sleep? It has been shown to damage your natural production of melatonin, which is the hormone that your body produces that tells you its time to go to sleep. By turning on the 'night shift' feature on your phone, it warms the colors tones on your screen, lessening the amount of blue light. I've selected this setting to come on each night at 7pm and returns to normal the following morning at 7am.

I also recommend turning on the 'do not disturb' mode on your phone before bed. That way, you won't be woken if your bestie decides to text you at 3am or your mom calls at 6am. If you're worried about missing something important, don't worry - if someone calls two times in a row it will still ring!

Tip #2: Keep your skin hydrated even while you sleep

Yeah yeah, I know it's physically impossible to drink water while you sleep (unless you've got some enviable super power), but we all know how good it is for your skin. So I recommend sleeping with a humidifier (this is the one we have). It will help keep your skin hydrated, especially during these cold winter months.

Tip #3: Prevent pillow face

Ironically, sleep can cause its own kind of damage too. And by damage I mean wrinkles. Eek. And I am not talking about those temporary pillow marks (those are the worst too), but I am referencing a deeper issue: sleep wrinkles. These are caused by the pushing and pulling of your skin throughout the night against that plush cotton pillow of yours. I recommend future-proofing your face by sleeping on your back and switching out your pillowcase for a silk one. I like Slip's Silk Pillowcase because it's gentle and allows my skin to breathe while gliding right across the soft surface as I toss and turn.

Tip #4: Zen out before bedtime

There's no denying that I love my coffee. But I try to avoid stimulants after 4pm, and in fact, to calm down lately, I have been drinking herbal teas before bedtime. It creates a nice, relaxing ritual before bed so I feel calm and not so antsy after working all evening. I look for gentle flavors with botanicals like chamomile, lavender, rose hips and orange blossom, which are all known for their mellow ways.

Tip #5: Sleep with an eye mask

Your eye area is the most delicate skin on your face, so sleeping with a silk or satin eye mask will do wonders for staving off those pesky old wrinkles (that make you look, well, older) by protecting it while you sleep. And sleeping with a sleepmask should also help your eyes relax, which can help reduce dark circles and puffiness. And see, here you thought they were just a cute accessory.

Tip #6: Moisturize

Speaking of taking care of your eyes, definitely slather on the moisturizer before you hit the hay so you will wake up looking like you just had a day at the spa, rather than drooling on your pillow. Honestly, using a good eye cream should be at the core of your beauty regimen. Considering your eye area is one of the first places we show age, giving it some love on a nightly basis will really help you reduce your eye woes. Lately I have been trying out a couple... Mary Kay's TimeWise Firming Eye Cream, TimeWise Repair Volu-Firm Eye Renewal Cream and Indulge Soothing Eye Gel. But the coolest news of all (and this will totally help you sleep even better), is that from November 16, 2016 through February 15, 2017, with the purchase of any of these three products, shoppers have the option to purchase a Beauty That Counts sleeping eye mask (the one I am wearing in these images) for $1. All proceeds from the mask will benefit The Mary Kay Foundation, which is committed to helping end domestic violence. That's pretty cool, right?

What did you guys think of these tips? Do you have any for me that I should be adding to my nighttime routine?

Thank you to Mary Kay for partnering on this post.