NOW the clocks have turned back, night-times have become longer and darker. If you’re feeling glum about the official onset of winter, why not reap the benefits with a little hibernation? A good night’s sleep is highly underrated, and can work wonders for radiant skin and glossy hair.

‘‘Sleep is when your body does more of its repair work, and not getting enough shows up both physically and emotionally,’’ explains sleep expert Dr Chris Idzikowski. ‘‘An undisturbed and restful night offers an abundance of beauty benefits and can be enhanced further by deep conditioning treatments for your skin and hair.’’ No matter how snuggly your duvet is, if your bedroom doesn’t provide the optimum conditions, you may struggle to reach your beauty sleep potential. Regulate the temperature of your room. Ramping up the central heating at night can lead to dried-out skin and frizzy, brittle hair.

Dr Idzikowski advises: ‘‘When the central heating is on and the room is hot and dry, we can toss and turn to cool down. Either use a humidifier or place a bowl of water by the radiator.

This will help to make your skin and hair less arid.’’ Sleeping on your back in a slightly raised position aids the body’s natural drainage process to avoid puffy eyes and a bloated face.

Industry experts also swear by silk pillow cases to boost your beauty at night.

‘‘Silk is much more gentle on the skin and hair,’’ Dr Idzikowski explains. ‘‘Sleeping on a silk pillowcase can prevent hair-thinning and split ends. The weave in a cotton pillow can be quite harsh on hair, pulling it in different directions resulting in breakage.’’ Eight hours is the magic optimum amount of sleep, but it can be elusive.

If you have trouble nodding off, indulge in some snooze-enhancing activities, like a luxurious bubble bath. Lavender oil also has calming properties to help you drift off when applied to your pulse points. Alternatively, dot under your pillow or add a few drops to your bath.

Avoid a night of disrupted sleep by calming your senses before bedtime. This Works has developed a Deep Sleep range, from £12 (selected Boots stores), specifically designed to help you relax with pre-bedtime pampering.

‘‘Try and get into the habit of a pre-sleep routine,’’ suggests Sleep Patch-It creator Amy Wong. ‘‘Soak your feet in warm to hot water for about ten minutes. A good foot massage can also promote sleep because our feet have the highest concentration of reflexology zones.’’ But beware sleepy heads, there is such a thing as too much shut-eye. Aesthetic nurse practitioner Kerrie-Jayne Salcedo warns that over-snoozing can leave you bleary-eyed in the morning.

‘‘Skin repairs itself when you’re at rest, so the more ‘quality’ sleep you get, the better, but the result of a really heavy sleep is often puffy eyes,” she says.