Showing signs of fatigue? Then get your beauty sleep, says Anne Marie Spiteri.

Dark circles and puffy eyes are the accepted showcase of a sleepless night or a hangover.

Besides being renowned for its desktop-perfect landscape and tranquillity, Wales is the butt of a thousand sheep jokes. I decided to see for myself, and can now assure you that if you go to Wales with a burning desire to surround yourself with sheep, you will not be disappointed. And thanks to various quirky souvenirs, I can also reel off a list of random facts about the woolly beast, including one that left me absolutely gobsmacked: sheep only sleep for about eight minutes at a time.

Granted, they are not the most lively of things, but surviving on eight minutes of sleep is still an impressive feat. I could not stop thinking about the endless possibilities that needing such a small amount of sleep would open up. Personally, I love sleeping, but at the same time I feel that there is just never enough time to do all the things I would like to. Many people seem to share the same predicament, and try to mitigate it by reducing shut-eye time to the bare minimum. However, instead of leading towards fulfillment, this trend is creating an army of irritated, coffee-dependent zombies.

Truth is, we are not sheep. And sleep is not simply a waste of time - it is important for our overall health and for the proper functioning of our body. It is essential for our survival. Besides bestowing us with blissful dreams of riches and fame, other functions of sleep include laying down of memories, and restoring any damage that occurs to the body during our waking hours. The optimal amount of sleep for adult humans is seven to nine hours a day, yet many of us get by on significantly less. Long term effects of sleep deprivation may as yet be vague, but short term effects do show up, and they chip at what is most important to us: appearance.

Dark circles and puffy eyes are the accepted showcase of a sleepless night or a hangover. As the unfairness of life goes, a teetotaler religiously sleeping eight hours per night may still be faced with this affliction. This is because dark circles may be due to genetic factors which lead to conditions such as excessive pigmentation in the under-eye area. Of course, lack of sleep and alcohol do not help, since they result in dull, dehydrated, and thinned skin, which increases the appearance of any dilated blood vessels under the skin.

Different products for clearing dark circles and puffy eyes contain a wide range of ingredients. Caffeine is a common component, and acts to constrict blood vessels. Products containing Vitamin C are said to minimise melanin, which is responsible for pigmentation. Other ingredients, such as alphahydroxy acids, plump up the skin, hence covering up melanin and blood vessels which would otherwise be visible through thin under-eye skin.

Other products promise to revive and refresh tired skin. Many contain Vitamin C, amino acids, and an assortment of plant and fruit extracts. Yet if conventional treatments leave you unimpressed, and money is no object, there are other avenues to explore. Facial acupuncture is one of them. Madonna does it, and that, I am guessing, is an advert in itself. Although no picnic, facial acupuncture produces noticeable results. Other cosmetic interventions available to those on a quest for glowing skin include herbal peels, vitamin cocktail injections, and a wide range of facials.

You could, of course, also go your grandmother's way. Eat a solid, balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables, grab a reasonable amount of early nights per week, and lay off the coffee during working hours. Oh, and go to Wales. There is no nightlife to speak of, just peace, quiet, glorious countryside, and countless sheep. Try counting them. And sleep.

A sight for sore eyes

Tips to combat puffy, darkened eye areas.

• Remove eye make-up every night and avoid rubbing your eyes
• Limit intake of alcohol and salty foods, and drink plenty of water
• Apply a cold compress such as chilled slices of cucumber or a cold washcloth since the cold will help to constrict blood vessels, thus reducing swelling. For this same reason, refrigerate eye gel
• To brighten darkened eye areas, apply a good concealer which is about a shade lighter than your skin tone.

Skin deep

Cosmetic treatments to rejuvenate your skin.

Facial acupuncture

How it works: needles are inserted into different points in the face, helping energy circulate properly around the face. Each tiny injury from the needles initiates a natural healing mechanism.

Results: reduction of fine lines and softening of deeper ones, reduction in size of under eye bags and enhanced skin tone.

Herbal peels

How they work: The top layer of the skin is exfoliated - this triggers new cell production and stimulates blood circulation.

Disadvantages: Skin is red after treatment and peels for a couple of days as the old skin comes off. This type of treatment may be too aggressive for some skin types, leading to scarring.

Vitamin cocktail injections

How they work: A series of injections to the face containing vitamins, minerals and amino acids to make your skin glow and reduce under-eye circles

Disadvantages: Can be painful and cause bruising and red marks

Sleeping beauties

How to get a good nights' sleep.

• Avoid exercising late in the day as this will stimulate your body and interfere with sleep
• Leave an interval of about two hours between the evening meal and bedtime
• Avoid alcohol since this will interfere with sleep even though it initially makes you drowsy
• Make sure the bedroom is comfortable in every way, including temperature, environment, lighting
• Use the bed for sleeping only, and not for working or watching television
• Avoid cat naps during the day
• Try to rid your mind of thoughts and worries before going to bed.