If you’re not getting enough sleep, scrolling way past your bedtime and finding yourself hitting snooze several times before dragging yourself out of bed to pop the kettle on (and the caffeine in your system), this is the article you didn’t know you needed to read today. To reach your #skingoals, you need to hit your sleep goals, too.
Fact is, multiple studies have joined the dots between poor sleep and poor skin health. Inadequate hours of shut-eye not only speeds up your complexion’s the ageing process but increases your risk of certain skin conditions as well.
We spend time and money on our morning and night skincare lotions and potions, and to reap the rewards of that discipline, we need to be disciplined about the amount and quality of sleep we get. Those in the know suggest adults (between the ages of 18 and 60) get at least seven hours of sleep per night for the most health benefits.
We get it. Sleep may not be the first thing you think of when you think of skincare and skin health, but it should be a priority.
What Makes Sleep a Skincare Step?
The hours we spend asleep are incredibly important. Why? Because certain areas of our brains are at their most productive while we’re at our least productive.
While we're in the deep stages of sleep, our body ticks off a long – and essential – list of repair processes, including skin cell regeneration. Lack of sleep disrupts this crucial repair cycle, resulting in a dull and lacklustre complexion and accelerating the ageing process. When you don't get enough sleep, the daily breakdown in your skin doesn't get a chance to play catch up and repair itself overnight. There’s no dodging this bullet – quality sleep is crucial to both skin health and your overall health.
How Does Quality Sleep Lead to Quality Skin?
Once you fall asleep, your body starts producing growth hormones that ensure that your skin produces enough collagen – the wonderful stuff that keeps your skin tight and “bouncy” and gives it what it needs to repair acne and scarring.
While asleep, blood flow increases to our skin. If we don’t get enough sleep, this process is interrupted, which results in our bodies releasing stress hormones like cortisol—not exactly your skin’s BFF, as this hormone triggers inflammation, dullness, and uneven skin tone. That’s the bad news. The good news? Getting enough sleep regulates hormones, and regulated hormones mean a balanced complexion.
TIP: Try sleeping on your back rather than your side. Considered the best sleep position for healthy skin, sleeping on your back avoids the friction and pressure of your face being pressed against a pillow, which (long-term) can help prevent wrinkles, pore congestion, and acne.
Want to Make Your Beauty Sleep More Beautiful?
Pick skincare products specifically formulated for nighttime use. We have an extensive range of night creams for every age and stage of your skincare journey.
From the Lamelle Serra Soothing Cream for dry and sensitive skin to the Neostrata Bionic Face Cream 12 PHA for anti-ageing hydration and skin-smoothing, from the truly transformative Skinceuticals A.G.E Interrupter Advanced ideal for mature skin looking for unparalleled anti-ageing benefits to the Skin Renewal Azelaic Acid 10% Cream suited to those looking to tackle dullness, roughness and pigmentation, we truly do have a multi-tasking, sleep-loving moisturiser to put the beauty in beauty sleep – whatever your skincare budget.
TIP: Take an active approach to getting your skin the most from your shut-eye by adding a nighttime active to your bedtime routine. The Neostrata, Lamelle, Skinceuticals, and Endocare ranges have all sorts of complexion-boosting serums targeting everything from blemishes and ageing to retexturing and discolouration.
Have Years of Poor Sleep Taken Its Toll on Your Eye Area?
If you’ve recently turned over a new beauty sleep leaf but your eye area hasn’t gotten the memo, a few extra hours a night and eye cream may not be enough to address sleep-deprived fine lines, wrinkles, dark circles, and puffiness.
Enter the transformative MCCM Eye Peel Treatment, a cutting-edge solution meticulously crafted to revitalise the delicate skin around your eyes. Boasting an impressive and comprehensive range of turn-back-the-clock benefits, this treatment (coupled with an aftercare regimen) could be just the thing you need to achieve and maintain a rejuvenated, youthful gaze.
Chat with your Skin Renewal medically trained therapist or doctor to learn more about how this treatment can be tailored to your unique needs.