Sleep is supposed to be the ultimate in relaxation and rejuvenation. But those hours without water, often in an insulated, low-humidity room with dehydrating forced-air heating or cooling, can rob skin and eyes of critical moisture. That's why we often wake up with itching skin and crusty, bleary eyes. Tear production almost totally shuts down during sleep, resulting in a build-up of bacteria and toxins on the optical surface and eyelid. Saliva also nearly shuts down during sleep, causing the dryness and bacterial build-up responsible for "morning breath."

It's a good idea to replenish lost skin and eye moisture (and mouth and body moisture) the moment you awaken. Here are some suggestions for moisturizing skin, eyes, breathing passages and body when you get up in the morning, and for keeping them fit and healthy. These are also good preventatives for the unhealthy stresses encountered later in the day. In addition to moisturizing, they will energize and invigorate your body and mind.

• Try to leave a window open in the bedroom while you sleep and in the bathroom while you shower and wash up, to increase the percentage of fresh, oxygenated, humid, outdoors air.
• Drink a large glass of warm (or slightly hot) water soon after awakening. Warm water is more quickly absorbed and less likely to be excreted as urine.
• Remember to deeply inhale the steam in the shower, and if possible to linger and enjoy your shower (if you take a bath, follow it with a quick shower to wash off the bath residue).
• Apply repeated warm compresses to the face, with eyes open, while you wash, beginning with a mild liquid soap and ending with just water (Don't use the soap, obviously, when applying the compress to eyes).
  Wring out and rinse the compress between applications, and breath deeply while it is on your face.
• If you don't have time for applying warm compresses to your face (which is most beneficial for women who wear make-up), try a modification of the old barbershop technique of wrapping your face with a hot, wet towel. With towel or washcloth, make a little tent over your face. And with eyes opened (of course), inhale deeply for a minute or two.
• Conclude your facial cleansing/moisturizing by applying a moisture-sealing lotion such as Vaseline Intensive Care or Oil of Olay (men or women), or with moisture-sealing make-up base (they're all moisture sealers).
  The ideal make-up base or lotion will have a sunscreen factor (SPF) of 15 or higher.

Bio-Logic Aqua Technologies makes two products that have proved extremely helpful in replenishing lost moisture to skin and eyes in the morning. They are NATURE'S TEARS^® EyeMist^TM for the eyes and NATURE'S MIST^® moisturizing spring water for the skin. NATURE'S TEARS^® EyeMist^TM is amazingly convenient to apply. Kept on the nightstand, a quick morning application will perk up your eyes instantly. NATURE'S MIST^® should be kept in the bathroom and applied after facial cleansing, just before applying the moisture sealer. A quick mist to the body, hair and arms won't hurt, either. And no, regular tap water will not add beneficial moisture to the face and eyes, even when applied as a mist. The water must meet certain standards of purity, mineral content and pH.