We all know that sleep is good for us. We need it to function properly and allow our bodies to recover from the day before. But, did you know that sleep is one of the best ways to improve the health of your skin? We looked at the benefits of sleep and how your skin will love you for getting some extra shut-eye!

Poor Sleep Affects The Repair Process

According to studies, when you don’t get enough sleep or quality sleep, your body is not able to repair itself properly, including the skin. The skin is one of the largest organs and therefore needs time and appropriate rest to recover. It is thought that even just a few nights of bad sleep can lead to the slowing down of the skin’s ability to repair and restore a damaged skin barrier.

Skin Functioning Decreased

Sleep deprivation has some obvious effects on the skin under our eyes (think dark circles!), but your skin, in general, can suffer. When you’re no0t getting enough sleep, you may also see the effects of reduced hydration of the skin, and reduced elasticity and your skin may not be able to shed dead skin cells properly. Therefore, you may end up needing to spend more time on exfoliating and moisturising the skin, which essentially would be a bandaid fix in this instance. The solution instead? To get a better night's sleep!

Aging of the Skin

Unfortunately, sleep can also play a part in how the skin may appear aged. When we don't get enough sleep, our stress hormones increase and this then affects the way collagen is produced in the body. A decrease in collagen, means a reduction in your skin’s elasticity and structure, as well as losing your natural smoothness and firmness. Therefore, getting sleep means less stress and more natural collagen in the skin. 

Dark Circles

One of the tell-tale signs of not enough sleep is dark circles under your eyes. Of course, dark circles under your eyes can also be due to several other reasons such as stress, skin issues or dehydration. But, lack of sleep is also a common contributor to those dark circles. You can always cover them up with a bit of good make-up work, but clogging your pores with thick make-up may then lead to other skin issues. Instead, make sure you’re drinking enough water and getting enough restful sleep at night. 

Helping Your Skin As You Sleep

Getting quality sleep can be just what your body and your skin need to recover, repair and feel good. But you can help your skin with a little booster each night by following your nighttime skincare routine. 

Depending on your skin’s needs, you may need to complete a few steps before bedtime. But, as a general rule, you should at least aim to cleanse, tone and moisturise your face each night. But, using a serum, masks and oils can also be of benefit to your skin. 

Your skin goes through a lot each day with your normal, daily stress load, air pollution and if you’re on the run, that takeaway you’re eating isn’t going to help your skin either. By completing your nighttime skincare routine, not only are you helping your skin get the best chance overnight of looking great the next day, but you’re also completing a great self-care routine to look after yourself. 

Getting good sleep isn’t always easy. By creating a routine each night, removing screen time before sleep, having a relaxing bath, completing your skincare routine and ensuring you have a good wind-down session, you’ll be able to give yourself the best chance of a good night's sleep and an even better chance for your skin to renew and repair overnight.