Raechele Cochran Gathers, MD The truth is, sleep doesn’t get the respect that it deserves. Sleep is absolutely essential to your health, and it’s highly underrated. Sleep is just as important to your health as exercise and diet, and if you haven’t been getting enough sleep, it’s time to re-evaluate your sleep situation! It turns out that getting enough sleep is also essential for the health and appearance of your skin.
How Sleep Benefits Your Skin
When you sleep, your skin is in recovery mode, doing damage control and repairing all the damage that a day’s worth of stress, physical injury, chemicals, pollution and UV exposure can cause. During your sleeping hours, your skin renews and regenerates.
During the different phases of sleep, hormones such as melatonin and growth hormone are produced to reduce skin inflammation and help regenerate the skin. Melatonin is a hormone produced by your body that regulates your sleep-wake cycles. Darkness triggers your body to make more melatonin, which in turn triggers your body to sleep.
Melatonin doesn’t just help you get to sleep though. It is part of your skin’s defense and repair system. Melatonin works to defend against harmful free radicals, and is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, repairing damage and preventing the signs of aging skin.
How Lack of Sleep Affects Your Skin
Not getting enough sleep is bad news for your health. Lack of sleep may be associated with increased risk of diabetes and heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and mental health issues. Unfortunately, lack of sleep can also have a real impact on your skin’s health and on how you look.
Sleep deprivation can affect the appearance of the skin around the eyes, nose and mouth. In one study, lack of sleep lead to a more ‘fatigued appearance,’ with hanging eyelids, dark under-eye circles, red eyes, and more droopy corners of the mouth.
Lack of sleep is also associated with increased skin aging. A study of sixty women, who were either ‘good quality sleepers’ or ‘poor quality sleepers’ found that poor sleepers had more signs of skin aging, a reduced skin barrier function (which is important for keeping the skin looking plump and hydrated), and a lower satisfaction with their appearance.
If you think your skin seems drier when you don’t get enough sleep, you may be onto something. Another study found that people sleeping less than 8 hours per night were more dehydrated than their counterparts that got better sleep.
Best Skincare Products for Sleep
At night, you should choose products that effectively cleanse, detox and restore your skin. Always wash your face before bed to rid your skin of makeup, debris and pollutants that can clog pores and exacerbate damage. Look for products with ingredients like retinol to boost collagen formation and help reduce signs of aging, and hyaluronic acid to help hydrate and plump the skin.
CeraVe Hydrating Face Cleanser is a solid, well-performing cleanser that won’t leave your skin stripped. It effectively rids your skin of makeup, oil and debris, and leaves it hydrated but not greasy feeling. It also contains hydrating hyaluronic acid.
Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Regenerating Anti-Aging Cream is a good nighttime moisturizer for those concerned about fine lines, dark spots and other signs of aging. It contains retinol, which helps boosts collagen and increase cell turnover to reduce wrinkles. It also contains skin-plumping hyaluronic acid.
There are also several plant oils that are remarkable for nighttime skin repair and rejuvenation. Rosehip oil is a good antioxidant, helping to reduce the damage from stress, pollution, chemicals, and sunlight. Rosehip oil helps calm inflammation,heal and renew, and may also help with the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It also gives your skin a dewy, hydrated glow.
Better Beauty Sleep. Better Skin
Evaluating your sleep routine and making sure that you’re getting enough sleep can do wonders for your skin. How much sleep you need at night can vary depending on your age. According to the CDC, adults between 18 and 60 need 7 or more hours of sleep a night. Your sleep routine may benefit from changes like these:
1. Set a regular bedtime and wake time. And stick to it.
Your body thrives on a routine sleep schedule. No matter how tough, getting up around the same time, Monday to Sunday, can help you achieve more restful sleep.
2. Avoid alcohol before bed.
Alcohol can dehydrate your skin and might also interfere with sleep.
3, Make your bedroom a device-free zone.
Besides the annoying chirps from notifications and random text messages, blue light from your tablet, phone, or TV can impact your sleep. Any type of light can reduce the sleep hormone, melatonin. But blue light has even more of an impact. It is a powerful inhibitor of melatonin. Which is exactly what you don’t want at night. If you can’t remove your devices from your room, at least turn them off. Also, try to stop looking at bright screens about 2-3 hours before bedtime.
4. Have a cup of herbal tea and a light snack
Lavender and chamomile are two herbs that can help with relaxation and sleep. Foods like almonds, pumpkin seeds and bananas contain tryptophan, an amino acid that can help enhance sleep. Try having a few nuts and a cup of herbal tea before bed to get the sleeping vibes flowing.
