Image Via: https://www.pexels.com/
Sleep is one of the crucial things you’ll need to do for your ultimate health. Not only does it help with your energy and alertness but did you know that it can also affect your skin? Yes, sleep affects your skin and lack of rest (or even too much of it!) can make your body feel AND look bad. But how exactly can better sleep affect your skin? Read on and I’ll show you all about how sleep affects your skin, both in a good and bad way!
What Happens If I Sleep Too Little?
Image Via: Bigstockphoto.com
So if you slept too little or too much, what can it do to your skin? Here are the consequences:
Deprivation Of Nourishment
You won’t only get nourishment from the food you eat but from your sleep as well. If you don’t have enough sleep, then you deprive your body of what it needs. When you do get a good night’s rest, your body will work and remove dead blood and brain cells, making more room to make new ones. Without the right amount of sleep, you’ll be lessening the time your brain needs to replenish its cells, resulting in bad skin. Furthermore, your brain will also get rid of a lot of toxins once you get good sleep, which is why you look less than refreshed if you had too little sleep.
Dehydration
When you don’t get enough sleep, it affects our moisture levels as well. It decreases the moisture and lowers your skin’s pH levels, which is why you may have noticed that your skin looks older and doesn’t have that much of the glow you had days before. When the skin’s pH levels lower down, it gets imbalanced and causes the skin to not have the moisture it requires. Because of this, your skin looks drier. And with dry skin, it can trigger breakouts and redness on skin!
Dark Circles Around The Eyes!
I’m sure you have already noticed that when you don’t get enough sleep, you always get the worse eye bags in the morning. This is because you don’t give enough time and rest for your body cells to regenerate. Because of this, your blood vessels will dilate and show dark circles under the eyes. Not only can eye bags be caused by lack of sleep but your sleeping position as well! We’ll get into this more in the next section.
No Cell Regenerating Period
If you don’t know yet, your body will go through four stages of sleep. Stage one and two is when you’re between consciousness and sleep, then stages three and four, which is REM, or rapid eye movement. Cell regeneration happens in the last two stages and if you are unable to get quality sleep from getting your seven to nine hours of rest, then you won’t be able to reach the REM sleep and have your body regenerate cells to improve your skin.
You Look Tired And Stressed
When you get too little sleep, you will obviously feel tired the whole time. And when you feel tired, you will also look it. Without enough sleep, your stress hormones wreak havoc and result in you feeling extremely groggy. Your eyes begin to droop, your skin sags, and when you continue the late nights using your phone, your eyes are exposed to the blue light, which keeps you awake and affects your skin because of lack of sleep! Plus, it stresses you out using a phone for work-related things.
Saggy Skin!
Studies have shown that with lack or too much sleep, your weight tends to fluctuate. Unfortunately, you also begin to gain weight because of the constant cravings when you are too tired! And when you begin to gain weight, your skin becomes loose. And even the best moisturizer you use won’t be able to help the saggy skin caused by weight gain! And another disadvantage is that weight gain may not help with your overall confidence. Not only will you look tired but bigger as well!
How Better Sleep Affects Your Skin
Image Via: https://www.pexels.com/
Now that you know about how bad sleep affects your skin, how does a great night of rest help make your skin more beautiful? Here are some factors to consider:
Fewer Wrinkles
When you sleep, the skin would begin making new collagen and that prevents sagging. It helps repair your skin and lessen the chances of wrinkles from forming too soon. Plus, since you will be able to lessen your cravings and lessen the chances of weight gain thanks to proper sleep, your skin stays firm and looking great.
Studies show that just five hours of sleep a night can result in twice as many visible wrinkles compared to sleeping for seven hours.
Glowing Complexion
When your body gets enough sleep, you have better blood flow. This results in a healthier glow. If you deprive yourself of sleep, then it becomes dull because of the lessened blood flow to your face. That’s why you aren’t getting the rosy glow you used to back when you had a good night’s sleep! It’s the reason why you look paler when you lack sleep. And if you continue to make lack of sleep a habit, your skin may end up looking like that for a long time.
No More Puffy Eyes!
Like mentioned, one of the disadvantages of lack of sleep are puffy and dark circles around your eyes. Again, it’s because of the lack of blood flow going into your face. When the blood isn’t flowing as well as it should, that would collect under your eyes and look noticeable, since the skin on your face is very thin. While discolouration on your eyes can be caused by other things such as genes or melanin, lack of sleep can make it worse.
Skin Products Are More Effective
Because your skin repairs itself while you rest (that’s because it’s not too busy protecting itself from the sun or free radicals), there’s better blood flow and products that help repair your skin is more effective that way. With a good moisturizer and other skin-repairing products, your body is moisturized for longer, you have fewer chances of wrinkles or fine lines, and you’ll achieve that youthful glow. All thanks to a combination of quality skin products and sleep!
A More Radiant Look
Last but not the least, proper sleep will have you feel more relaxed, energized, and with a more positive outlook on life. You’ll be able to smile more and have less of a droopy face. You are also more radiant right after a good sleep!
Furthermore, people who lack sleep are less healthier than those who do have their seven to nine hours of rest. Because of this, they are more likely to get sick, taking a toll on one’s appearance.
Getting Better Sleep
Image Via: https://unsplash.com
It isn’t only about sleeping for seven to nine hours a day! There are more ways on how you can get beautiful skin while asleep. Here are some tips to follow:
Have A Sleep Schedule
The only way you’ll be able to achieve better skin with quality sleep is actually getting a good amount of it. Like what I said, seven to nine hours is what’s most recommended, though it would depend on your body clock. It’s best to sleep early and wake up early, sticking to your sleep schedule and staying consistent. Avoid sleeping too late by keeping your lights closed and with soothing music. If you have problems with your sleep due to disorders or illnesses, it’s best to see your doctor for proper treatment.
Follow A Healthy Skin Routine
I always recommend that you have a routine before you go to bed to help relax. This helps you sleep quickly and with more quality. And just like that routine, follow a good skin regimen before and after sleeping, such as washing your face with a cleanser and applying moisturizer to keep your face smooth and well-hydrated. Just like your sleeping schedule, you must keep this consistent. It’s the key to beautiful and glowing skin!
Eat Healthily
Of course, you shouldn’t only have proper sleep for good skin. You must pair it with a proper diet and exercise. Eat nourishing and hydrating foods that help keep your skin firm and free from any blemishes. Go for colourful vegetables and lean protein. Furthermore, combine a good diet with exercise, which will help keep your glowing complexion. These two will also be able to help with your quality of sleep!
Have Better Sheets
If you feel like your mattress or sheets are too hard or rough to the touch, then that can affect your skin and give you wrinkles or fine lines from it! It may also trigger breakouts. So it’s best to invest in quality sheets with soft fabrics to avoid that.
Change Your Sleeping Position!
Yes, your sleeping position can actually affect your skin, namely your eyes! Those who sleep on their stomachs suffer from puffy eyes when they wake up. This is because of liquid pools under your eyes throughout the night. Plus, sleeping on your stomach isn’t a recommended position because it disrupts your breathing as well. So it’s best to sleep on your side or back, with a supportive pillow and firm mattress to reduce anybody pain in the future. And if you aren’t able to change your position and wake up with puffy eyes, you can remedy that by applying two soaked tea bags under your eyes for about five minutes.
In Conclusion
And there you have it! Sleep isn’t only something to help your mind but your beauty as well. And through having a good seven to nine hours of sleep every night, you will be able to have great skin that will stay young looking for years to come!
Hopefully, this article on how sleep affects your skin and what you can do about it has helped you become more knowledgeable and encouraged you to rest well. So don’t wait any longer and begin to sleep better today!
If you have any questions or would like to share your tips and experiences on sleeping better for great skin, then comment down below. I would love to hear what you have to think.
