Beauty sleep: Is it real?

You can almost immediately tell that getting a poor night of sleep doesn’t do woke-up-like-this wonders for your face. Older 2013 research even says that one night of poor sleep can cause:

• hanging eyelids
• swollen eyes
• darker undereye circles
• paler skin
• more wrinkles and fine lines
• more droopy corners of the mouth

A 2017 study found that two days of sleep restriction negatively affected participants’ perceived attractiveness, health, sleepiness, and trustworthiness.

So, what seems like an overnight issue could transform into something more permanent.

First and foremost, you should understand that sleep is the time when your body repairs itself. This is true for your epidermis as much as it is for your brain or muscles.

During sleep, your skin’s blood flow increases, and the organ rebuilds its collagen and repairs damage from UV exposure, reducing wrinkles and age spots.

Second, sleep is when your face inevitably comes into contact with the elements directly around it for a long time, especially if you’re getting the recommended seven to nine hours each night.

Think about it: Your face against rough, drying cotton for one-third of its existence and being exposed to the sun for two unprotected hours could do a number on the appearance and health of your skin.

Here’s what you can do to help give your skin a rest.

1. Get a full night of sleep

The best place to start for your skin — and overall health — is to get the recommended amount of rest each night.

The results of poor sleep for your skin include:

• skin that ages faster
• skin that doesn’t recover as well from environmental stressors like sun exposure
• less satisfaction with your skin quality

Sometimes you might have an off day, but you should average seven to nine hours of sleep. If you’re wondering how to reset your internal clock and catch up on rest, try sleeping in on the weekends by following our three-day fix guide.

You can also track your sleep with a wearable fitness tracker.

2. Wash your face before turning in

We’ve established how sleeping is a surefire way to help your skin repair itself: blood flow increases, collagen is rebuilt, and the muscles in your face relax after a long day.

But going to sleep with a dirty face can also harm the appearance of your skin.

Cleansing your face each night is arguably more important than in the morning — you don’t need to use fancy products or scrub too hard. A gentle cleanser to remove dirt, makeup, and extra oil will do the trick.

You don’t want to give the day’s pore-clogging irritants the chance to sink in and cause damage overnight. This can cause:

• large pores
• dry skin
• rashes
• infections
• inflammation
• acne outbreaks

3. Use an overnight moisturizer and stay hydrated

Washing your face can dry it out, and sleeping can also dehydrate skin, especially if you snooze in a low-humidity environment. While staying hydrated by drinking water can help to some extent, what your skin really needs at night is a topical moisturizer.

Again, you don’t need the fanciest product on the market. You just need a thicker cream or oil that can help your skin as you sleep. Another option is to use your day moisturizer and layer petroleum jelly — using clean hands — on top to lock in the moisturizer.

For a more supercharged product, try an overnight sleeping mask.

4. Sleep on your back or use a special pillowcase

It makes sense that the position your face is in while you sleep (for one-third of your day!) matters to your skin.

Sleeping on a rough cotton surface can irritate your skin and compress your face for long hours at a time, resulting in wrinkles. While most wrinkles are caused by the expressions we make while we’re awake, wrinkles on the face and chest can result from sleeping on our stomachs or sides.

An easy solution to this is sleeping on your back — which also has a few other benefits — even if you train yourself over time.

If you prefer to sleep on your side, get a skin-friendly pillow. A satin or silk pillow minimizes skin irritation and compression, while copper-oxide pillowcases may reduce crow’s feet and other fine lines.

5. Elevate your head

Elevating your head has been proven to help with snoring, acid reflux, and nasal drip — all issues that can disturb the quality of your sleep and, therefore, your skin. In addition, it can help reduce bags and circles under your eyes by improving blood flow and preventing blood from pooling.

Elevating your head while you sleep can be as simple as adding an extra pillow, a wedge to your mattress, or even propping the head of your bed by a few inches.

6. Stay away from sun while you snooze

While we do most of our sleeping in the dark, sleeping with your skin directly exposed to the sun in the morning, or during naps, can have a damaging effect on your skin’s health and appearance — not to mention that sleeping in a lighted room can disturb sleep and sleep rhythms.

Getting blackout curtains or making sure that your bed is out of the sun’s direct line can help.

While we often spend a lot of our time layering and lasering our skin, paying attention to how we treat our skin during sleeping hours shouldn’t be overlooked.

It’s not just for a glow or looking youthful; it’s about maintaining your health in body, mind, and skin for years to come. A few wrinkles never hurt anyone — in fact, they’re usually a sign of happy years lived.

Does poor sleep quality affect skin ageing?

. 2015 Jan;40(1):17-22.

doi: 10.1111/ced.12455.

Epub 2014 Sep 30.

P Oyetakin-White 
¹
, A Suggs, B Koo, M S Matsui, D Yarosh, K D Cooper, E D Baron

Affiliations

Affiliation

• ¹ Department of Dermatology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.

• PMID:

  25266053

• DOI:

  10. 1111/ced.12455

P Oyetakin-White et al.

Clin Exp Dermatol.

2015 Jan.

. 2015 Jan;40(1):17-22.

doi: 10.1111/ced.12455.

Epub 2014 Sep 30.

Authors

P Oyetakin-White 
¹
, A Suggs, B Koo, M S Matsui, D Yarosh, K D Cooper, E D Baron

Affiliation

• ¹ Department of Dermatology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.

• PMID:

  25266053

• DOI:

  10.1111/ced.12455

Abstract

Background:

Sleep is important for growth and renewal of multiple physiological systems. The effects of chronic poor sleep quality on human skin function and visible signs of ageing have not been elucidated.

Aim:

To evaluate the effect of chronic poor sleep quality on measures of skin health and ageing. Self-perceived satisfaction with appearance was also assessed.

Methods:

60 healthy caucasian women, who were categorized as poor quality sleepers [Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) > 5, sleep duration ≤ 5 h] or good quality sleepers (PSQI ≤ 5, sleep duration 7-9 h). A validated clinical tool, SCINEXA(TM) , was used to assess intrinsic and extrinsic skin ageing. Dark under-eye circles were evaluated using standardized photos. Measurement of in vivo transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was used to assess recovery of the skin barrier after tape stripping. Subjects were exposed to simulated solar ultraviolet light, and recovery from erythema was monitored. Subjects also completed a questionnaire evaluating self-perception of attractiveness.

Results:

Good sleepers had significantly lower intrinsic skin ageing scores by SCINEXA(TM) . At baseline, poor sleepers had significantly higher levels of TEWL. At 72 h after tape stripping, good sleepers had 30% greater barrier recovery compared with poor sleepers. At 24 h after exposure to ultraviolet light, good sleepers had significantly better recovery from erythema. Good sleepers also reported a significantly better perception of their appearance and physical attractiveness compared with poor sleepers.

Conclusions:

This study indicates that chronic poor sleep quality is associated with increased signs of intrinsic ageing, diminished skin barrier function and lower satisfaction with appearance.

© 2014 British Association of Dermatologists.

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IMAGE-SKINCARE.RU » How does sleep affect skin health?

December 15, 2022

Few people think that sleep directly affects the condition of our skin. In what way does this manifest itself?

Here are some of the effects that a full healthy sleep provides us with:

• Smoothing wrinkles

Sleep at night ensures the body’s total recovery. At night, collagen is produced, which provides the skin with firmness and elasticity. Dermatologists say that every hour of sleep affects how effectively the epidermis is restored. In other words, the fewer hours we sleep, the more we will have signs of wrinkles, atony and pigmentation.

• Humidification

What’s more, when you don’t get enough sleep, your skin loses moisture, becomes dry and dehydrated, which makes age-related skin changes even more noticeable.

• Radiance, lighter complexion, no dark circles or puffiness

In addition to collagen production, sleep also increases blood flow to the skin. Thus, the skin becomes more radiant and the complexion more healthy.

In addition, when you get enough sleep, the risk of dark circles under the eyes and puffiness is minimized. With proper rest, excess fluid has time to leave the body, and blood supply to normalize.

Tip: Use an orthopedic sleeping pillow. Thanks to its special structure, it will not only relieve you of headaches and neck pains, but also allow you to avoid morning swelling.

• Improvement of night care products

Night cream, mask or serum will have even more positive effect on your skin if you apply them shortly before bedtime. So, care products act as helpers for the skin in the process of regeneration and restoration of the epidermis. Moisturizers are especially suitable for night use, as the skin is prone to dryness at night.

It is important to remember your biological clock

In science there is the concept of “circadian clock”. It means that the brain has a function that is responsible for reading the amount of light that surrounds the body. That is why, when it gets dark, the internal clock reacts by increasing the production of melatonin in the brain. From here, we feel drowsy as the brain has sent us the signal to fall asleep. Don’t ignore this feeling. So, working at night and studying or watching movies for a long time and reading books will not leave a good imprint on your skin. The constant fluctuation of the biological clock, which you can simply not follow, can lead to serious health problems.

Which skin care products should I use before bed?

Depending on your needs:

• For mature skin: AGELESS anti-aging night cream
• For dry and dehydrated skin : VITAL C revitalizing night cream
• For all skin types that require hydration and accelerated regeneration: ORMEDIC Bio-Peptide Night Cream

For a closer look at our nightly skin care products, visit the IMAGE Skincare website .

Effects of sleep on skin: 3 effects of lack of sleep

Contents

• How sleep affects the skin
• Effects of lack of sleep on the skin
• How to sleep “for beauty”
• Overview of night care products
• What to do if you can’t get enough sleep

How sleep affects the skin

When we sleep, the body restores the energy spent during the day, gets rid of toxins, and works to compensate for the damage received. The same processes occur with the skin.

“The activity of our skin during the day and night differs in the same way as the activity of the whole organism. During the day, it is set to protect against external influences, at night – to restore.

While we are resting, it works: regenerative processes and synthesis of necessary substances are launched, blood supply is increased, exfoliation of the upper layer of the skin becomes more intense for renewal.

Back to the Table of Contents

Consequences of lack of sleep for the skin

Neglecting sleep, we sacrifice not only rest, but also beauty. And the result of such a careless attitude to one’s own body is reflected on the face in a literal sense.

Bruises under the eyes

Perhaps the most recognizable symptom of lack of sleep is bruising and bags under the eyes.

Dull skin color

Facial skin due to lack of sleep is deprived of the opportunity to fully recover after a hard day and get rid of dead cells (the same exfoliation process is not effective enough). As a result, the face acquires a dull, close to gray shade. With systematic lack of sleep, this condition can become chronic.

Premature aging

Check how your lifestyle can affect biological age.

© Getty Images

Take the test

Sleep disturbance is one of the shortest paths to unwanted age-related changes. Without proper rest, the skin (and the whole body as a whole) simply does not have the opportunity to fully recover, which is manifested in early wrinkles and loss of elasticity. Read about the connection of the night hormone melatonin with youth and beauty of the skin here.

Back to the top

How to sleep “for beauty”

The maximum activity of processes important for the skin occurs from 23:00 pm to 4:00 am, when the already mentioned melatonin, the sleep hormone responsible for all recovery processes, reaches its maximum concentration.

Going to bed early is a very good habit for the skin. © Skin.ru

For the full production of melatonin, it is recommended to sleep in maximum darkness so that light does not fall on the iris of the eyes. If you can’t completely darken your bedroom, try using a sleep mask. The flickering light bulbs of gadgets also interfere with melatonin production, knocking down our biological clock.

Night cream or night mask helps the skin recover and get rid of the effects of daytime stress. © Skin.ru

However, even with the right level of melatonin, it is important for the skin to help recover during sleep, especially if it is not always possible to follow the regimen. For the maximum effect of “beauty sleep”, first of all, it is necessary to provide the skin with hydration – only with a sufficient level of moisture, the cells will be able to work at full strength. This is especially important for dry skin, but nightly moisturizing will also provide an invaluable service. In the latter case, it is important to choose products with a light texture.

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Overview of night care products

Micellar water with oils for face, eyes and lips, Garnier

Night care should begin with cleansing of the skin, and Garnier’s two-phase micellar water enriched with oils is perfect for this. It will effectively wash off even waterproof makeup and additionally take care of the skin, which is especially important in the cold season.

Liftactiv Night Cream, Vichy

Rhamnose polysaccharide stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, while HEPES smoothes the skin. As a result, face wrinkles are reduced night after night.

Toleriane Ultra Nuit Night Care, La Roche-Posay

The cream works to ensure that problematic and sensitive skin has a healthy look by morning. Carnosine and vitamin E included in the composition prevent morning redness and fight the formation of free radicals. And neurosensin soothes the skin and prevents discomfort.

Age Expert 35+ Night Cream, L’Oréal Paris

Collagen biospheres make the skin firmer and smooth wrinkles from the inside. The cream is aimed at combating the first signs of aging.

Back to index

What to do if you can’t sleep

If you know in advance that you won’t be able to sleep, it makes sense to prepare your skin for such a shake-up with additional care, such as a night mask. But do not abuse this technique, it will not save with chronic lack of sleep.

Night cream-mask “Luxury food. Extraordinary oil”, L’Oréal Paris

Even during a short sleep, the soothing and regenerating oils of nutmeg rose and argan will take care of the skin. By morning, the skin acquires a healthy glow.

If you didn’t get enough sleep and there was no way to prepare for it in advance, express remedies will come to the rescue to help eliminate the visible consequences of lack of sleep.

Instant Glow Mask, Kiehl’s

Turmeric Mask works immediately after use to combat dullness and signs of fatigue for radiant, fresh, rested skin. Thanks to cranberry seeds, the skin gently exfoliates and the pores become less visible.

Moisturizing + Aquabomb Sheet Mask, Garnier

Quickly hydrates tired, sleep-deprived skin. The tissue base is impregnated with pomegranate extract and hyaluronic acid, which, together with glycerin serum, instantly restore a fresh look to the face.

Intense Oxygenation Revitalizing Night Cream Slow Âge, Vichy

Oxygenates skin cells with resveratrol and corrects pigmentation with powerful antioxidant baicalin. Having “breathed” and recovered, the skin looks fresh and rested in the morning.