A restful night's sleep isn’t just good for your body and mind; it's also an essential element for healthy skin and a radiant complexion. While a skincare routine with quality products are essential for skin health, the remarkable benefits of sleep for skin health should not be underestimated. From reduced inflammation to improved skin elasticity and a radiant, refreshed appearance, a good night's rest holds the key to unlocking the full potential of your skin's vitality. In this article, we’ll explore the truth about ‘beauty sleep’ and why those evening zzz’s matter big time to your skin.
Understanding Sleep
Sleep is a fundamental physiological need - just like air and water. Your body requires sleep for a multitude of reasons. Sleep helps the body to rest and repair, restores muscles, aids in wound repair and helps your body fight off illness. Your brain is also replenished during sleep - sleep helps your body to consolidate information, store memories, and improve cognitive function and clarity during the day.
Consider sleep like your body’s way of recharging. Without it, you’ll feel sluggish, tired, and foggy. It’s impossible to perform your best - physically or mentally - without proper sleep. If you feel yourself struggling with feelings of fatigue, grogginess, or mental fog - it could be your body’s way of telling you to get more sleep.
Your sleep is regulated by the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is often described as the body’s internal clock. This natural 24-hour cycle works in tandem with light - signaling to the body when to wake and when to rest. If you notice yourself feeling drowsy near bedtime, thank your circadian rhythm! It’s your body’s way of winding down to sleep.
Getting Enough Sleep
Getting plenty of sleep is essential to whole body health. The exact amount of sleep you need depends on your age, activity level, and other lifestyle factors, but aiming for 7-9 hours of sleep each night is ideal.
It can be challenging to get enough sleep. Between the demands of work and school, everyday stress, and overstimulation from news or social media, it’s easy to stay up too late or have trouble falling asleep. If it’s been a while since you’ve had a good night’s rest, you aren’t alone: researchers say that at least one in three adults deal with sleep disruption. Lack of sleep can make you feel lackluster and is linked to several health concerns, so it’s important to prioritize getting quality rest.
How to Sleep Better
Getting better sleep doesn’t have to mean taking a sleeping pill or not being as productive by pulling all-nighters. In fact, setting yourself up for sleep success can be fairly easy. If you’re having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or just want to improve the quality of your sleep, try these simple tips:
- - Minimize noise: television, phone notifications, and street noise can all disturb your rest, so try to turn minimize noise before bed
- - Turn off screens: blue light from screens can disrupt your circadian rhythm and keep you from a restful night’s sleep - a good rule of thumb is to put away phones and turn off your television, tablet or computer at least 30 minutes before bed
- - Create a routine: your body will signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep when you get into a night time routine - like taking a shower, putting on comfortable pajamas, and reading a book by dim light in bed
- - Clear your space: clutter can be a distraction for sleep and cause unwanted stress, so try to make your bedroom a relaxing retreat free of clutter
- - Avoid caffeine: caffeine is a stimulant which will keep you awake, so try to avoid coffee or other caffeinated beverages for 5-6 hours before you plan to go to sleep
- - Block out light: your circadian rhythm is dependent on light - like sunlight - to run it’s 24 hour cycle. However, light from lamps, screens, and overhead lighting can mimic sunlight and interrupt your circadian rhythm. To get better rest, turn off harsh lights and opt for dim, yellow-toned lights before bedtime, or block out unwanted light from outside with window coverings.
How Does Sleep Affect the Skin?
‘Getting your beauty sleep’ is truer than you think - sleep profoundly impacts the health and radiance of your skin. Sleep can impact skin repair and rejuvenation, inflammation, hydration, hormonal balance, puffiness and water retention, cell turnover, and even signs of aging.
Even though a lack of sleep can sideline your healthy skin goals, it’s easy to get back on track. Avoiding sleep deprivation might be as simple as practicing better sleep hygiene, going to bed consistently each night, or adding a white noise machine to your bedroom. You can expect major skin benefits once you reclaim your beauty sleep.
What Are the Benefits of Sleep for Skin?
It doesn’t take a dermatologist to tell you that your skin will be healthier if you get enough rest. Your skin will prove it by revealing a new radiance and youthful appearance. Here are 6 skin benefits you can count on when you get enough shut-eye.
1. Fewer Breakouts
To keep it hydrated and protected, your skin’s sebaceous glands produce oil called sebum. However, when you aren’t getting enough sleep, stress levels in your body rise. This can trigger the release of stress hormones like cortisol. When cortisol levels rise, sebum production increases, which can cause breakouts and blemishes.
2. Better Hydration
While you sleep, your skin experiences slower trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) than when it is awake - meaning skin stays more hydrated for longer.
3. Fewer Lines and Wrinkles
Not getting enough sleep is one of the fastest ways to age your skin. Researchers have studied the link between people who sleep well and those who don’t and how their skin reacts to sleep. The results showed that people who do not get enough sleep have more signs of aging, like lines and wrinkles.
This is because sleep deprivation breaks down proteins in the skin called collagen and elastin. These proteins are responsible for skin elasticity and plumpness - and when they break down, it causes skin to become slack or wrinkled.
4. Faster Wound Healing
Just like you’re told to rest while recovering from illness, sleep helps your skin to heal, too. Sleep helps aid in wound recovery and heal skin conditions, so if your skin is irritated or breaking out, getting a few more zzz’s will most certainly help.
5. Reduced Eye Circles & Puffiness
Most of us have experienced under eye dark circles or puffiness at some point, and a lack of sleep is often the culprit. The delicate skin around the eyes is thinner than the rest of the body, so it often shows a lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation causes fluid retention, which leads to puffiness under the eyes. A lack of sleep also impairs circulation (more on that to come), which can cause circles to form under the eyes.
Getting quality sleep each night can be the beauty hack you’re searching for to reduce or eliminate under-eye circles or puffiness.
6. Improved Radiance
Blood circulation is how your body gets the nutrients and oxygen needed to stimulate new skin cells' growth. Sleep improves blood flow circulation, helping keep your skin healthy and enhancing your skin radiance.
How To Prep Your Skin for Sleep
One of the best ways to prepare for a good night’s sleep is with a relaxing skincare routine. Taking care of your skin doesn’t just help wash away the stress of the day and target your skin issues, it’s a habit that will help signal to your body it’s time for rest and help you get better sleep.
A nighttime skincare routine should always include cleansing skin and moisturizing. Cleansing your skin is essential to remove makeup, oil, impurities, and pollution from the day. This step is critical to reduce breakouts and signs of aging, as it will help buff away dead skin cells and grime from the skin’s surface and allow your skin to breath overnight.
After cleansing your skin, it’s imperative to hydrate and lock in moisture. A facial mist is a great way to integrate aromatherapy and create a spa-like experience while hydrating skin. We recommend NuFACE Supercharged IonPlex® Facial Mist - which is formulated with glacial water and hyaluronic acid to hydrate and lock in moisture, as well as niacinamide to soothe skin and ceramides to help rebuild the skin’s barrier and prevent moisture loss.
Once you’ve spritzed your skin, you can apply your favorite serums or moisturizers to enhance hydration. NuFACE FIX® Serum is a clinically anti-aging serum. This powerhouse skin serum actively softens fine lines & wrinkles and plumps skin.
Sleep Is the Skin Solution
Beauty sleep isn’t just a saying after all - your skin really does need sleep to look it’s best. For a clear mind, healthy body, and a radiant complexion, you need to get enough rest at night. To improve your sleep and your skin, practice proper sleep hygiene and incorporate restful nighttime rituals to help you unwind and ease into sleep.
Sources:
Insomnia: What It Is, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment | My Cleveland Clinic.org
Beauty Sleep: How Quality Rest Impacts Appearance | Sleep Foundation.org
Does poor sleep quality affect skin ageing? | PubMed
Skin blood flow responses during sleep by laser Doppler flowmetry | PubMed
