Sleep: The Most Important Ingredient in Your Skincare Regimen

Do you eat all the right foods, drink enough water every day, and have a great at-home and professional skincare regimen, but STILL don’t have the skin results you want? Answer this: how’s your sleep?

Sleep may the thing that’s holding you back from having the skin you want.

It seems obvious–after all, the idea of “getting your beauty sleep” doesn’t come from nowhere. But given the fact that 65% of Americans consumed at least one cup of coffee per day in 2015, and coffee sales are increasing steadily, it’s clear that most people don’t get enough sleep. We are a society that burns the candle at both ends, a nation where people stay up all night to study, work, or have fun. However, going without adequate, regular, restful sleep carries with it both short- and long-term consequences. The average adult requires 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep, as it plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory, learning, and other vital functions.

Sleep hygiene has an impact on the appearance of the skin, even more than skin hygiene; and because the skin is such a wise messenger, it will do its job to alert you that your body needs more sleep. It does this with visible signs such as puffy eyes, dark circles, and lackluster tone in the short term; but overtime a sleep deficit will show up on the skin with increasing signs of aging, including fine lines, uneven pigmentation and reduced skin elasticity.

What’s the antidote?

Simple regimens like chamomile teabags or cucumber slices may temporarily reduce certain sleep deficit-related symptoms; and a good facial treatment can certainly help to improve the tone and texture of the skin. But as long as the cause of poor sleep persists, the symptoms will continue to perpetuate. The only way to restore and rejuvenate sleep deprived skin is to start–and stick with–a regular, healthy sleep regimen.

Why is sleep so important for healthy skin?

There are many reasons, but essentially, lucid sleep is the only time in our schedules when we don’t experience stress. Stress consumes a large amount of the body’s energy throughout the day, which affects every system and function in the body. We need that downtime to regenerate, heal, and recover from physical stressors to the skin such as the sun and environmental toxins, as well as mental and emotional toxins.

What’s our biggest tip to promote restful sleep?

Step away from the screen.

Are you conscious of how many times you bring your cell phone or laptop to bed with you, only to find yourself gazing at your screen as the clock magically skips minutes, then hours–and before you know it, it’s well past midnight?

There was a time when sunrise was our alarm clock and sundown was the cue to shut down for the night and go to bed. Imagine how simple life was then? The rhythm of your day was in perfect sync with the movement of the sun. Now we have 24-hour access to gadgets that blink, beep, chirp, and emit radiation throughout the night; thus disrupting our natural circadian rhythm and over-stimulating brain activity.

Keeping screens out of the bedroom is a must if you want to fall asleep faster, and sleep more soundly night after night.

Responding to your body’s signal for adequate sleep is great way to nurture yourself and provide more effective opportunities to make healthier choices and be more productive throughout your day.