Though we’ve all heard the phrase “beauty sleep,” we probably don’t actually think about how beneficial a good night’s rest can be for our skin. When we were younger, staying out all night and looking decent the next day was no problem. However, as skin ages, it doesn’t recover as well from a lack of sleep as it once did. Here are some ways a solid 8 hours can improve your skin:
Restful sleep promotes the production of new skin cells. As the surface skin cells die, our complexions begin to look dull and damaged. Sleep helps to clean up the daily damage we’ve inflicted upon our skin (unprotected exposure to UV rays, contact with pollution and free radicals, etc.) by encouraging skin cell turnover more so than during the day, according to Alex Khadavi, M.D., associate dermatology professor at the University of Southern California.
Your skincare products are more effective at night. The retinoids, vitamins, and other anti-aging ingredients in skincare products become less effective after extended exposure to sunlight. At night, the lack of sunlight means that anti-aging ingredients stay active longer than during the day. This is why more nighttime skincare products contain more active ingredients than daytime products.
Lack of sleep can increase stress hormones. Sleep deprivation increases the amounts of stress hormones in your body which can lead to increased inflammation and flare ups of skin conditions like acne or rosacea. This effect can speed up the skin’s aging process leaving you looking older the less sleep you get.
Not getting enough shut eye can decrease hydration. When your body doesn’t get the amount of sleep it needs, its ability to maintain hydration decreases. Once supple skin can become dehydrated, damaged, and dull. This also makes the skin less able to protect itself, leaving it more susceptible to harsh chemicals and environmental contaminants regardless of your skincare regimen.
While it’s important to maintain a healthy skincare schedule, regular anti-aging cosmetic treatments, and avoid skin-damaging sun exposure, getting enough sleep at night is just as important in preserving your skin’s youthful appearance. For those who may have not have gotten to snooze as long as they should have through the years, Style MedSpa offers patients anti-aging and wrinkle reduction treatments including facial fillers, chemical peels, laser skin resurfacing, and more.