A Good Night's Sleep Can Make You Feel Beeyoutiful!

I am sure you have heard little maxim about the importance of getting your "beauty sleep." Doctors and dertmatologists will tell you that one of the best ways to feel and look better is to get a full eight hours of sleep (though some folks thrive on a bit more or a bit less), along with eating right and exercise.

Well, to someone who doesn't sleep well, trying to get a good night's sleep can be a frustrating thing. If you resort to medicines, like Generic Sleep Aid PM, you might sleep soundly, but have a tough time waking up alert and ready to take on your day. Some folks with trouble sleeping go for melatonin, a natural herbal hormone-based product that helps some people sleep more soundly and get tired a bit more quickly, but it doesn't seem to work for others.

For someone who has tried all of that and STILL can't get a good night's rest, things begin to look a bit glum and hopeless. Especially if you are working hard, traveling, caring for someone else, sleeping on a less than ideal bed, and/or undergoing mental and emotional stress. You start to feel a whole barrage of symptoms like achy shoulders and back, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, headache, lack of energy, cold symptoms, and maybe even a bit of "glass half empty" thinking...All from lack of sleep.

Sleep is important. We all know that. Healthy amounts of sleep enable us to function at our optimum, see things clearly and optimistically, and physically endure hardships. Our body needs that sleep time to rejuvenate. Have you ever considered that by sleeping well, you are also giving your immune system a chance to recharge so it can do its job efficiently and effectively? You need to sleep to stay healthy.

Why do I keep going on and on about sleep? Here's why. 

I was asked to review two products from the company Beeyoutiful. I enthusiastically agreed, since I had a previous positive experience with this company's SuperMom Vitamins. After Ladybug was born, I was very, very tired. I now know that was probably because I seem to be prone to pregnancy induced thyroiditis, and I was probably in a hypothyroid phase. I didn't know that then, though. I just knew I was exhausted beyond belief, I was concerned my milk production would suffer, and I had to be able to care for my sweet baby girl.

Because I receive the free magazine No Greater Joy, I was aware of the Beeyoutiful products, and had read multiple testimonials as to its efficacy. I ordered a bottle and started taking them at the recommended dosage (twice a day, once at breakfast, once at lunch) right away. I noticed a difference immediately. I felt less "draggy" during the day, my hair and skin started to look better, and my overall outlook improved, although I actually discovered I was having trouble sleeping instead of wanting to take several naps during the day.

Since not sleeping is a problem with a new baby (for one, you can't take anything to help you sleep when you are breastfeeding) I was got frustrated enough to call the company's customer support (they were very helpful) and immediately discovered that some people are super-sensitive to the "green foods" they put in the vitamin (thus giving them super-energy and difficulty sleeping). The gentleman suggested I go to one vitamin a day with breakfast, and that did the trick right away. I continued to take the vitamins for the rest of the time I was breastfeeding, and they worked wonderfully. Since I only had to take one, instead of two a day, they turned out to be a real bargain! I have purchased them again, and never regretted my purchases.

Back to the products I was asked to review recently and the healing properties of sleep...As part of the TOS Review Crew I was sent two Beeyoutiful products (products varied for each Crew member). I received a tube of Lip Balm (I will tell you about it later)and a bottle of Berry Well. Berry Well is a syrup whose main ingredient is elderberries ("Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" Monty Python and The Holy Grail...aww, come on, you know you were thinking about line that, too!!), which has long been used to treat the symptoms of colds and the flu. It has been documented to reduce inflammation, fever, muscle aches, and breathing difficulties, among other things. Berry Well also has apple cider vinegar in it, which is known to reduce the alkalinity of the blood, can help reduce high cholesterol, and improve the condition of the skin. The liquid contains honey to sweeten the taste and to help with allergies and in fighting infections. Bee propolis and echinacia are known to be natural antibiotics, and round out the ingredient list.

Since I rarely get sick (I do take an allergy medication daily, which helps...if I go off of it, I do get sick), and my kids are pretty healthy, too, I wondered how I was going to give this product a fair try. Then I realized the answer: Mom. Otherwise known as Nanny. She works so hard to take care of others and rarely spends time taking care of herself. She is often battling something or another, from the sniffles to tummy troubles (Beeyoutiful sells a product for that, too...I am willing to have her give it a try if they want to send me some!!), she gets it all because she runs and runs until she runs out of energy (and health). I ran over to the post office right away and re-posted the Berry Well box (minus the lip balm, which I kept for myself) to Iowa, US Priority Mail.

Here is what Mom told me about her experiences with Berry Well:

• "I took it before bed after several days of sleeping very poorly (on an air mattress), and feeling washed out all day, achy all over, and just plain run down. I woke up the next morning after having fallen asleep easily for the first time in a long while and I felt AMAZING. I didn't ache, I didn't have a headache, and the kink I'd had in my shoulder was GONE. I felt well-rested and I actually had energy to go out with my sister-in-law and have fun shopping all day at the antique stores. I don't know for 100% sure that it was the Berry Well that caused this amazing rejuvenation of my health, but I didn't do anything else different, and I had been feeling poorly for weeks."
• A few days later she said, "I've been taking it every day, twice a day, for the rest of our trip and I feel marvelous. I am happier, and less tired. I have not ached like I did before since I started taking the Berry Well, and while I have no idea what it is doing to help me feel and sleep better, I am fairly convinced that the Berry Well is why my overall feelings of health have improved. I plan to buy some more and keep it for whenever I start to feel poorly again."
• She also told me that noticing such a drastic change from using the Berry Well has convinced her that there is something going on on a deeper physical level. She now realizes the need to figure out what it is so that she can get well and stay well. Phew!! (that's me breathing a sigh of relief!)
• "I am glad I tried this product and grateful that Heather shared it with me." You're very welcome, Mom!! Thanks for helping me do this review. ;-)

I can't add much to that to make it sound better, can I? Berry Well is only $19 a bottle and the price goes down if you buy in bulk, which could be good for those with large families. You know I can't guarantee that Berry Well will do the same for you as it has done for my mom, but if you are prone to illness, or have a child who is prone to getting the sniffles, it definitely is worth a try. I am so glad and grateful that we were able to have her try out the Berry Well, and that it helped her so much. If you'd like to hear more customer testimonials, you can check this video testimonial from a customer on the Beeyoutiful site and check out the customer reviews on the Berry Well product page.

I kept the lip balm for myself. I am a self-admitted "lip stuff" junkie. My kids know that my little blue pots of lip balm are off limits to the general population and take care to bring them to me when they find them laying around the house. I must have a half dozen of them here and there at any given time. I know. That's a bit ridiculous. I will be honest and tell you that I am not likely to give up my particular favorite brand any time soon...I've been using it for twenty years or so and am rather attached to it (I should buy stock in the company), but were they to go out of business, I think I'd be quite happy with the Beeyoutiful Lip balm as a substitute. 

I really don't like those brands of lip balm that are greasy, or too thick and waxy. The Beeyoutiful lip balm was smooth, slick, and seemed to soak in right away, without leaving my lips dry afterwards, like some seem to do. The flavor was light and pleasant (we recieved the peppermint flavor...it is also available in orange), and the cost of $3 a tube (or $2.70 each if you buy 3 or more), is not too steep for an all-natural product (it uses grapeseed oil, shea butter, beeswax, and essential oils). I keep it in my purse for when the kids need a bit of lip therapy. They like it a lot.

If you are into natural products (or even if you aren't...it's never too late to start!), and want to know you are buying quality you can count on, I feel that Beeyoutiful is a reliable company with a wide selection of very healthful and useful products for you to try. I highly recommend them, based upon my family's personal experiences with what we've tried so far.

I wish you and yours happiness and good health.

Blessings,

You can check out what others from the TOS Homeschool Crew had to say about a variety of products from Beeyoutiful at the Crew Blog. Enjoy!!

Disclaimer: I received a bottle of Berry Well and a tube of Lip Balm from Beeyoutiful for the purposes of trying out the products with my family and giving an honest opinion about them here on my blog. What you see related here are reflections of our own experiences and not guarantees of their performance for you or your family. No other compensation was offered for sharing my opinions with you.