Did you get your beauty sleep last night? Beauty experts talk about “beauty sleep” because it’s more than an old expression. In fact, this is why you wake up with “eye bags” or under-eye dark circles if you don’t get a full night’s sleep. I’d like to share why one of the world’s top beauty tips is to improve your sleep quality.
What Exactly Is Beauty Sleep?
If you get a full 7 or 8 hours of sleep, this can do wonders for your body. You feel refreshed, recharged, and your skin glows without any expensive skin creams, lotions, or serums.
Beauty Sleep vs. Sleep Deprivation
Meanwhile, if you experience a lack of sleep, this causes negative effects on your body and mind. For example, it increases the stress hormone “cortisol,” which can increase your risk of skin conditions like pimples, blackheads, and patches of crusty skin known as psoriasis.
How Sleep Deprivation Affects Your Body (video)
Skin-Friendly Beauty Sleep
Quality sleep that cycles through all the stages of sleep can do wonders for your skin. A full night’s sleep includes multiple cycles through the sleep stages.
Inside-out Skincare
When you sleep well, it can provide many skin benefits. For example, it can improve skin health and release stress hormones. This can reduce your risk of serious skin issues and boost your immune system.
Skin Changes during Sleep
Cortisol levels drop
Sleeping is less stressful than waking hours, so the stress hormone levels drop. This reduces the risk of skin breakouts, which can cause acne. It also reduces the appearance of puffy eyes.
Skin cells regenerate
This is a critical process since the human body has about 1.6 trillion skin cells, according to How Stuff Works. You can indirectly get healthier skin cells through helpful advice in sleep resources.
Skin gets a little dry
This is due to the skin temperature warming up slightly. Dermatologists often recommend a heavier skin cream at night unless you have oily skin.
Nearly 85% of the body’s weight loss during sleep is through airways and skin, according to Physiology.org. So it’s wise to start your day with a glass of water.
Skin relaxes
This helps to reduce different skin issues like eye bags.
Anti-aging cream works better
This is through better skin absorption as you sleep due to the skin’s self-renewal. Most anti-aging creams also include Vitamin A-based retinol, which tends to break down faster during the day due to sun exposure.
No daytime environmental effects
This includes ones like:
- Rapid temperature changes
- Air pollution (e.g., smoke)
- Makeup
Skin loses some moisture
The fancy term is “epidermal water loss” if you want to impress your friends and family. A night moisturizer can help to keep your skin hydrated.
Sleep, Attractiveness, and—Trust?
Negative effects of poor sleep include:
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Pale skin
- Swollen eyes
- Under-eye dark circles
- Hanging eyelids
- Droopy corners around mouth
In fact, a 2017 study found that just two nights of sleep deprivation affected the participants’ perception of their own sleepiness, attractiveness, and health. They even thought the lack of sleep reduced their trustworthiness!
Tips & Tricks for Better Beauty Sleep
Elevate Your Head
This option can help to boost blood flow, which prevents blood pooling. That, in turn, can help reduce under-eye dark circles and eye bags. Some options include adding an extra pillow or learning how to pick a mattress.
Get a Full Night’s Sleep
Make sure to follow a sleep schedule and create a sleep-friendly environment. For example, use a fitness tracker to help go to bed and wake up around the same time daily, so your body’s internal clock is in sync.
Use a Nighttime Moisturizer
This can hydrate the skin and prevent dry skin from face-washing, low-humidity, and water loss through the skin. An alternative is adding petroleum jelly over a day moisturizer.
My Nighttime Skincare Routine (video)
Sleep on Your Back
You can actually get wrinkles on your face and chest when cotton sheets rub against your skin. If you’re a side sleeper, then get a skin-friendly pillowcase made of materials like silk or satin.
Wash Your Face at Bedtime
This provides some surprising benefits besides a clean face:
- Increased blood flow
- Relaxed face muscles
- Collagen rebuilding
Sleep not only can improve your overall health but also result in healthy skin. It turns out that beauty sleep is simply getting enough shut-eye, so you wake up with healthier skin, hair, and eyes.