A good night’s sleep is essential for energy, stress, and overall health. But if you get quality Zzz’s, will you also wake up looking healthier? Turns out that healthy sleep not only does the body good, but may also be the closest thing there is to a fountain of youth.
In honor of World Sleep Day, we wanted to share how the value of healthy sleep leads to a long list of benefits for your health and appearance, including for your skin, hair, and nails. We’ll review the best sleep habits, lack of sleep side effects on your beauty routine, and why there’s some scientific truth to the notion of ‘beauty sleep’.
What Are Good Sleep Habits?
If there’s something we’re all guilty of these days, it’s probably that we don’t get enough sleep. Aside from crammed schedules, social restrictions, and overwhelming to-do lists, the recommended 7-9 hours of shut-eye we’re encouraged to get can seem more like a dream.
Before you throw in your sleep mask, know that a few lifestyle tweaks could put you closer to your sleeping goals. While you might not be able to control the factors that interfere with your sleep, you can adopt good habits that encourage better shut-eye – without counting sheep. Start with these simple tips:
Adjust your schedule gradually
Make sleep adjustments little-by-little, and give yourself a grace period to adjust to these changes. The goal is to go to bed at the same time, and get up at the same time – including on the weekends!
Don’t be a Gremlin
If you haven’t seen the 80’s horror flick, you can still guess at what we’re getting at. Eating and drinking too late at night can put a damper on your bedtime routine. Avoid eating late, and on that note, avoid caffeine late in the day as well as alcohol and nicotine; these will all interfere with your sleep cycle.
Optimize your bedroom environment
Make sure your bedroom supports healthy sleeping habits. Keep things quiet, dim to dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature. Reassess the lifespan and quality of your mattress, pillows, and bedding for the ultimate in comfort.
Reduce blue light exposure
A biggie! On the home and work fronts, take breaks from blue light that’s being emitted from devices like our smartphones, laptops, and TV screens during the day. Be sure to turn them off at least an hour before bed, or set them to night mode. This could help with sleep, eye, and skin problems.
Treat yourself well
Get some exercise and keep a healthy diet. According to the CDC, being physically active during the day, but at least two hours before bedtime though, can help you fall asleep more easily at night. If you’re hungry at bedtime, eat a light, healthy snack.
PRO TIP: There’s a reason parents schedule their kid’s bath time right before bed. Taking a warm bath doesn’t have to be a long, luxuriating time commitment (though we do recommend). You can keep it to just 10-15 minutes, but be sure to add deeply relaxing bath treatments to help prime you for sleep.
4 Ways Sleep Helps Your Body
A good night’s sleep does more than thwart the dreaded “you look tired” by your coworkers or glowing like a goddess all day – sleep actually repairs you. While you’re in shut-down mode getting a good snooze, your body is in busy mode restoring and repairing different functions.
Therefore it shouldn’t be surprising that getting proper sleep leads to a long list of benefits for your body and overall health.
Promotes healing
Ever put much thought into why doctors emphasize getting plenty of rest after surgery? It’s an important part of the healing process. While you snooze, your body has the chance to release hormones that encourage tissue growth to repair blood vessels. This helps wounds to heal faster!
Relaxes and repairs the body
When you get healthy sleep, there are less demands put on your bodily functions. Your blood pressure will drop, giving your heart a break – in a good way. Hormones are released that can restore sore or damaged muscles, reduce inflammation, and assist with healing.
Fights illness
Doctors will also give you a prescription for lots of rest when you’re sick. While you’re sleeping, your immune system releases a type of small proteins called cytokines. If you’re sick, these powerful proteins come to the aid to assist your immune system in fighting the infection or virus.
Helps you feel better
With little demands being made on your sleeping body, your mind and body can focus on restorative tasks and get a break. When you awake after a good night’s sleep, it feels just a bit easier to face the day.
Lack of Sleep Side Effects Can Affect Your Beauty Routine
If sleep deprivation can make your hard-working body struggle, imagine what it can do to your appearance? A lack of sleep has side effects on your otherwise glorious outside self – including hair, skin, and nails. Sleep and skin are directly connected – we’ll tell you how!
More wrinkles
Skin supports collagen formation when you sleep as part of its repair process, helping to improve firmness and reduce sagging. If you’ve been on (no) sleep mode for a while, your body probably hasn’t been getting enough time to repair itself. This could lead to more noticeable wrinkles, and skin that doesn’t look quite as plump or youthful as we’d like.
PRO TIP: Tackle crows feet while you sleep with a powerful retinol eye cream!
Dull complexion
Remember that mention of glowing like a goddess after a good night’s sleep? If you don’t get enough shut-eye, your body could get less blood flow to the skin. This means you wake to a drab or dull complexion.
Puffy panda eyes
One of the most recognizable lack of sleep side effects, dark circles and under eye bags set in when you don’t get enough sleep. This could be due to decreased blood flow to that delicate area, alcohol consumption the night before, or dehydration. This can also occur after too much sun exposure.
Bad hair days
Ever wonder why the less you sleep, the more bad hair days you have? That’s because hair gets all it needs for growth from blood flow. Since blood flow decreases when we’re short on shut-eye, hair gets less nutrients, weakens, and is more prone to breakage.
Products not working
Even with wearing your favorite PM moisturizer, your products don’t have a chance to shine if you don’t get restful sleep. With less blood flow, your pores don’t open up as much – meaning your skin is unable to absorb PM products and their benefits during the night.
Turns out there is some scientific truth behind the notion of beauty sleep, after all. By blending a healthy lifestyle with little lifestyle tweaks, and a big dollop of consistent shut-eye, you’re able to give your body the repair and recovery it needs for a better you – inside and out.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sleep and Skin Health
How does sleep affect your skin health?
Without sufficient sleep the immune system is weakened, which can impact the amount and strength of collagen. Sleep deprivation is also associated with paler skin, more wrinkles or fine lines, and dark under eye circles. Getting enough sleep keeps skin moisturized and improves its ability to protect and repair itself. During sleep, your cells are activated to mend and rejuvenate your tired skin. It’s like a nightly skincare rescue mission where your skin is ready to face a new day with a fresh face.
What are the best sleep habits for improving your beauty routine?
Create a quality sleep environment, keep a regular sleep schedule, exercise regularly, wind down in the evening, and put away electronics before bed. Taking a warm bath can also improve your sleep.
How can lack of sleep cause wrinkles and fine lines?
Without sufficient sleep the immune system is weakened, which can impact the amount and strength of collagen. As a result, the health of the skin decreases, potentially causing wrinkles and fine lines.
Why is sleep important for a glowing complexion?
Sleep plays a pivotal role in the healing and rejuvenation of our skin. During the night, while we’re in the deep stages of sleep, our body undergoes a myriad of repair processes, including skin cell regeneration. Lack of sleep disrupts this crucial repair cycle, leading to a dull and lackluster complexion. So, a good night’s rest will have you waking with a glowing complexion.
How can sleep deprivation lead to dark circles and under-eye bags?
As you skip your eight hours of sleep, the oxygen in the eyes decreases, which makes blood vessels dilate, giving you those bloodshot eyes. Deoxygenated or dilated, blood vessels become darker in color and show more readily through the skin. This, in turn, causes dark circles.
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