How Sleep Affects Your Skin

The phrase "get your beauty rest" is truly not an exaggeration considering how much sleep affects your skin. It is normally quite obvious from looking at someone if they slept the night before, or not. But these changes can have long-lasting impacts on the worn appearance of skin. If you want to have youthful and supple looking skin, you don't have to scour the internet for expensive creams and treatments. The solution may be as basic as sleeping. Keep reading to find out how sleep can impact your skin, and other measures you can take as part of you nighttime routine to have great looking skin.

How sleep impacts the skin

Sleeping is the time of day when your body goes into repair and restore mode. After a long day of being beat up by the sun, wind, dirt, and any other assaults, your face is tired. Many skin cells are damaged and need that time for the body's natural healing processes to take place. Sleeping allows increased blood flow to your face which delivers nutrients and other cells vital for upkeep. When you do not sleep, or do not sleep for long enough, you deprive your face enough time to finish all of its repairs.

A study showed that even just one night of sleep deprivation led to participants having pale, droopy skin, puffy eyelids, dark circles, wrinkles/fine lines, and droopy corners of the mouth. None of these characteristics scream Miss America. And all of these happened after just one night of sleep deprivation. Imagine having countless nights of sleep deprivation and the effect it could have one your skin.

This is why it's important to try and get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep a night so your body can repair UV damage from the sun, circulate anti-inflammatory cells, and facilitate collagen rebuilding. Without this sleep, your skin will age faster and be more dramatically impacted by environmental stressors than those who are able to sleep.

Nighttime routine to improve skin

In addition to getting a full night's sleep, there are other steps you can take to bolster the restorative process of the skin. Before going to sleep, here are some measures to consider engaging into reverse the stressful effects of the day.

Wash your face before bed

Cleaning your face before going to sleep is essential to rid your pores of all the dirt, bacteria and other molecules that clog up your pores and cause inflammation. By taking a cleanser like soap or salicylic acid (doesn't have to be expensive) you can easily remove a majority of dirt, make up, etc. If you wear make up, it's a must that you completely remove it before sleep as it can clog up your pores and cause inflammation and bacterial build up.

Moisturize your skin

After washing your face, it's essential to follow up with a moisturizer, or you could actually end up drying out your skin. If skin doesn't stay hydrated, then it will not maintain the supple, youthful appearance that you may be aiming for. Washing your face is great, but find a moisturizer that will keep your skin hydrated all night, especially if you sleep in a dry, humid environment. Once again, this doesn't have to be expensive. Simply find a lotion, petroleum jelly, or lightweight moisturizer that you can apply right before bed. Keeping a glass of water next to your bed, or making sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day will also help keep your skin moisturized.

Consider switching pillowcases or sleeping position

Cotton pillowcases are very rough on our skin. When we rub our faces all over them during sleep, we may be reversing the moisturizing practices in our nighttime routine. By switching to a silk pillowcase, you will give your skin a smooth, and non-irritating surface to fall into a deep sleep. However, if silk pillowcases aren't an option, then simply flipping on your back will help your face avoid the wrath of your cotton pillowcase. Also make sure to wash your sheets and pillowcases often. If you fall asleep on dirty sheets, then cleaning your face before bed was pretty pointless.

Sleep is so essential to maintaining good skin. Pale skin means blood vessels are more easily visible, which leads to the appearance of dark, puffy circles. Let's avoid this by working to get in good sleep. Also, by establishing a nighttime routine, you can teach your brain how to get ready for bed. If you find yourself struggling to get enough sleep, please click below to take the free online sleep test!