Did you know that getting about seven to eight hours of good sleep every single night is not only super beneficial for your overall health and wellness, but is also one of the cheapest and easiest ways to achieve healthier-looking skin? This is the main reason why getting enough snooze time and waking up feeling and looking energised is also very commonly known as ‘beauty sleep.’
If you find yourself constantly dealing with problems like dark circles, puffiness or dull and sallow skin, then it could be because you aren’t sleeping well or long enough. In this article below, we are going to list all the different ways in which beauty sleep benefits your skin, the harmful effects of not getting enough shuteye as well as some simple and effective tips to maximise your beauty sleep to help wake up with refreshed skin. Isn’t that cool? Scroll down for all the deets.
- Why is sleeping well so important for good skin health?
- Benefits of beauty sleep
- Tips to make the most of your beauty sleep
- FAQs about beauty sleep
Why is sleeping well so important for good skin health?
Before we discuss the many benefits of beauty sleep, it is important to understand the relation between sleep and your skin. We all know that our skin heals and repairs itself when we sleep, which is why we supplement it with the right kind of nighttime skincare products to aid this process better. This is also why, when you wake up from a good night’s sleep, your skin automatically looks a lot fresher.
But not getting enough hours of sleep, or poor sleep quality triggers the production of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Cortisol causes a lot of inflammation in the body giving rise to problems such as acne, psoriasis, eczema, etc.
Benefits of beauty sleep
1. Lesser dark circles
Have you ever noticed how your dark circles look a lot more pronounced and you wake up to puffy eyes each time you haven’t had enough hours of sleep? Well, this happens because lack of sleep increases the cortisol (stress hormone) levels in your body, which lead to water retention and puffy eyes. Additionally, not sleeping for about seven to eight hours every day puts tremendous stress on your eyes, making way for those unsightly dark circles.
2. Glowing skin
Our skin goes through a lot every day. The harmful effects of pollution, sun damage, dirt, oils and other impurities cause serious damage. But every night, your skin heals and repairs, restores and rejuvenates itself from the damage sustained throughout the day through cell renewal. Additionally, incorporating good quality skincare products in your everyday routine is a great way to aid your skin in this recovery process to wake up to soft, supple and glowing skin.
3. Reduced signs of ageing
Sleeping is undoubtedly the best anti-ageing remedy for your skin. When you sleep, your cells perform the repairing and restorative activities that help undo years of damage. It also improves collagen and elastin production to keep signs of ageing such as fine lines, wrinkles and other problems at bay.
4. Prevents breakouts
As seen earlier, lack of sleep puts your body under tremendous stress and causes the release of cortisol. This hormone not only affects other bodily functions, but also causes a lot of inflammation in your body, which can give rise to breakouts. but sleeping and waking up on time keeps your mind and body active throughout the day by reducing inflammation and keeping acne and breakouts under control.
5. Skincare products work better
There’s a reason why most dermatologists and skin experts stress on having a solid night time skincare routine. Since your skin repairs itself in the night, right down to the deepest layers, choosing the right skincare products only help your skin in doing this a lot better. This will help your skin in producing more collagen and thereby keeps your skin healthy and youthful for years to come.
Tips to make the most of your beauty sleep
1. Get enough shut-eye
In order to ensure that you reap all the benefits associated with beauty sleep, it is important to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep. This is the time when your body releases the human growth hormone, which helps in stimulating collagen production and thus making your skin look healthy and glowing the next morning.
2. Shower before bed
Cleansing your face and body before bed with lukewarm water helps in calming your body and mind down. This helps you get more quality sleep, which obviously has better results on your skin too.
3. Follow a good skincare routine
As discussed earlier, in order to make the most of your beauty sleep, it is always better to use good quality skincare products to help with this process. Using a repairing and restorative eye cream and moisturiser, along with a serum (or two) with active ingredients that are meant to target specific concerns help in healing your skin and repairing damage a lot better. This is extremely important for healthy-looking skin over time.
4. Look for the right ingredients
When choosing the skincare products for your nighttime skincare routine, remember to check the ingredients and pick products that are actually meant to target your skin concerns. Say for example if you have a lot of dullness or pigmentation, look for products with vitamin C. If dryness is your biggest concern, then picking a moisturiser with hyaluronic acid or shea butter will really help.
5. Apply products a few minutes before bed
If you tend to apply your skincare products and go to sleep immediately, then let us tell you that you are nearly wasting time by smearing them all over your pillow. Instead, apply your products about 15 to 30 minutes before hitting the bed as it takes the products approximately this much time to get absorbed into your skin and not go to waste.
FAQs about beauty sleep
Q. What is the best time to sleep for healthy skin?
A. Although the best time to fall asleep is actually between 9 pm and 11 pm, we know that it is not always possible to sleep that early thanks to our hectic lifestyle. However, if possible, try to go to bed at around 11 pm on most days, and if doing this is also difficult, then to try to catch at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep irrespective of what time you go to bed.
Q. How does sleeping less affect your skin?
A. Not sleeping enough has a lot of negative effects on your skin, the most common one being dark circles and puffy eyes. But apart from this, you’d start to notice premature signs of ageing, breakouts, certain skin conditions like psoriasis and a sallow and tired complexion. These problems could persevere even if you otherwise follow everything else correctly, like a good skincare routine and a balanced diet.
Q. How many hours is beauty sleep?
A. Beauty sleep actually consists of getting a solid seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep in the night. In order to maximise your sleep time and achieve amazing results, it is better to go to bed and wake up at the same time every single day. Additionally, using good quality skincare products is another way to make the most of your beauty sleep and achieve great results.
Written by Urvi Dalal on Jun 03, 2021
Writer, avid reader and hardcore beauty enthusiast is the best way to describe Urvi Dalal. With over 5 years of writing experience in the beauty industry, you can trust her to have the latest skin, hair and makeup tidbits on her fingertips. In her time working as a beauty writer, she has had the opportunity to interact and work closely with a string of dermatologists, makeup artists and hairstylists. All that knowledge exchange, coupled with her flair and love for writing make it possible for her to bring you some authentic yet fun beauty content. When Urvi isn’t working, you’d usually catch her curled up with a big, fat book, drinking a cup of tea or practising her makeup skills; there is no in-between!