6 Interesting Reasons To Sleep For Your Skin's Health

Getting an adequate amount of sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle. Sleep benefits your heart, mind, body, and many other things. Poor sleep not only makes you feel grumpy throughout the day but also affects your skin's health by making it appear dull and tired.

Jessica Krant, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and founder of Art of Dermatology in New York, says "Poor sleep can lead to increased stress hormones in the body that increase the severity of inflammatory skin conditions such as acne or psoriasis."

In 2018, NBC News published a survey-based article regarding why beauty sleep is real according to the doctors. They interviewed various doctors who concurred with the importance of a good night's sleep for healthy skin. In the interview, Dr. Jeffrey Durmer, a neuroscientist, neurologist and the CMO of FusionHealth mentioned that our body makes anti-inflammatory cytokines while we sleep - that help to heal and reduce the bad impact of damages done (to our skin) throughout the day, prolonged sun exposure and pollution being the top two factors that cause daily damage to the skin. 

With this post, you will further learn all about the relationship between your skin and your sleep. Take a glance at these 6 interesting reasons to sleep for your skin's health!

6 Interesting Reasons To Sleep For Your Skin's Health

1. Sleep Deprivation Reduces Your Skin's Natural Glow! 

As we mentioned earlier, lack of sleep is a major factor behind the increase of inflammatory cells in our body

The presence of these inflammatory cells in our body cause the breakdown of two very important molecules - collagen and hyaluronic acid, that play a vital role in maintaining the skin's glow, firmness, and elasticity. Our skin loses its shine, and glow due to the breakdown and appears rather dull.

Furthermore, sleep-deprived people experience acne breakouts, psoriasis, eczema, and other such skin conditions more often than those who take recommended hours of sleep daily which is 6 to 8 hours. The reason - when we don't get the proper amount of sleep, our body starts releasing a stress hormone called cortisol which is a major reason behind various skin issues, most importantly acne. 

2. Lack Of Sleep Speeds Up The Aging Process! 

When we are in a deep sleep, our body produces HGH (human growth hormone) at a rapid pace which repairs and replenishes the damaged skin cells. Without the deeper phases of sleep, the production of HGH doesn't occur - allowing the daily damage to accrue instead of being reversed overnight. The damaged skin cells make the signs of aging more noticeable.

A research on MDedge mentions that the lack of sleep increases matrix metalloproteinases which accelerates the breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin. This breakdown affects the skin thickness, elasticity, and its youthfulness.

Also read: Why Facial Exfoliation Is Necessary

3. Not Getting Enough ZZZZZs May Cause Dark Circles Around Your Eyes! 

Insomnia or sleeplessness is the main reason behind crows feet, eye bags, and the most dreaded of them all - dark circles! Yes, it is not just another urban myth. Lack of sleep can actually cause dark blue or brown circles around your eyes that are a pain to get rid of! Sleep deprivation tends to cause blood vessels around the thin skin to dilate, producing a dark blue-ish/brown tint. Lack of sleep also causes fluid/blood retention around the eyes, leading up to puffy and swollen eyes. 

4. Not Enough Sleep = Dehydrated Skin!

While we sleep, our body's hydration rebalances and thus, our skin gets the chance to retain moisture and stay hydrated. Hence, not getting enough beauty sleep results in poor water balance and leads to dry and dehydrated skin. 

5. Less Sleep, More Flares Of Immune-Related Skin Problems!

Because increased inflammation in the skin cells disrupts the body's abilities to regulate the immune system, people with immune-related skin diseases like psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, etc, may experience frequent flare-ups if they don't get proper sleep every-day. 

Also read: What Do Your Skin Blemishes Say About Your Habits

6. When You Take Some Shut Eye, Skincare Products Work Better On Your Skin!

"Your skin can focus on repairing itself while you sleep since it isn’t defending itself from sun and free radicals (harmful molecules from the environment). Blood flow is also more consistent, and this helps your skin benefit from the flesh-repairing ingredients in your beauty products." tells Patricia Wexler, a leading dermatologist to WebMD. 

To get the most out of our skin moisturizers and fairness cream, apply it to your skin just before you doze off at night so that you wake up in the morning to a happy skin and a brighter looking complexion! 

Here are some tips and tricks that will help you to sleep better at night -

• Try to have your last meal of the day by 9 PM.
• Avoid consuming caffeine after noon. 
• Take a hot shower half an hour before you hit the bed. 
• Don't keep your smartphone, laptop, T.V or any other electronic gadget in the same room as you sleep. 
• Sleep on 100% cotton bed sheets. 
• Drink plenty of water in the morning, afternoon, and evening, but not late at night. 
• If you have insomnia, you can take melatonin based supplements as a sleep aid. It is a completely natural and an OTC remedy to treat insomnia and get better sleep!