Lack of sleep has become a problem in many of our lives, but it’s a vital component of being a functional human. There are many benefits of beauty sleep. Sleep aids us in many different aspects of our bodies, including our mental health, immune system, and appearance.
Poor sleep affects our appearance by aging our skin, increasing the number of breakouts we get, and decreasing overall skin health. This leads to a lack of health, beauty, and self-esteem.
With that being said, it’s extremely important to get the full 7-9 hours of beauty sleep each night. Beauty sleep isn’t just an old “cliché.” It’s actually a real thing that refers to our skin and body healing itself from the environmental stressors we deal with daily. Check out these benefits of beauty sleep that come along with getting a quality amount of shut-eye.
1. Fewer Wrinkles
If retinoid creams and facial massages aren’t giving you those anti-wrinkles results you’ve been looking for, more sleep could be the answer. As you sleep, there is an increase in blood flow to the epidermis, which triggers new collagen production. Collagen aids in the repair process to help prevent sagging, aging, and wrinkles. If you don’t get enough sleep, there is an increase in cortisol levels, which can interfere with collagen production.
The quality of sleep we get each night also helps reduce signs of aging around the eyes, mouth, and skin. If you pair quality beauty sleep with some of these anti-aging tips, you are less likely to develop wrinkles.
2. Fewer Breakouts
For those who struggle with acne, it can be hard to feel confident in your skin. Your acne could be caused by many things such as oily skin, an imbalance of hormones, or even stress. In fact, The Journal of Gerontology ran a study that observed the relationship between sleep and stress levels and found that the two have a dependent relationship with each other. Higher stress levels lead to a lack of sleep, while a lack of sleep leads to higher stress levels.
If you are not getting enough sleep, the stress-level hormone, cortisol, rises, which makes getting back to a healthy sleeping schedule that much harder. With that being said, getting the full 7-9 hours of recommended sleep each night reduces stress resulting in fewer breakouts.
3. Healthier Skin
If a decrease in both wrinkles and acne doesn’t give it away. We are here to tell you that getting your beauty sleep will promote overall healthy skin. As mentioned before, poor sleep is directly correlated with reduced skin health. When you sleep, your skin heals itself from the stressors it was exposed to during the day, such as sun damage or minor skin wounds.
If you don’t get the right amount of sleep each night, it can prevent your skin from fully healing and increase the severity of existing skin conditions. However, if you change your habits and begin to get the right amount of sleep each night, your skin can recover quickly and produce healthy and glowy skin when paired with a good skin-care routine and proper nutrients.
4. Depuffed Eyes
One of the main signs of sleep deprivation is dark circles and under-eye bags. So it’s probably no surprise that the more sleep you get, the less puffy it is around your eyes. Insufficient sleep often results in waking up with swollen and red eyes accompanied by those pesky dark circles.
To help prevent this, get your beauty sleep so you can wake up with bright and well-rested eyes. Boost your results by sleeping on your back with a few pillows stacked under your head. This increased elevation helps prevent blood from pooling under your eyes, which results in dark circles.
5. Easier Weight Loss
Believe it or not, sleep is one of the most important factors in your weight-loss journey (behind diet and exercise). According to this study, it was found that sleep restriction resulted in higher levels of ghrelin, AKA, the “hunger hormone.” This hormone stimulates appetite and promotes fat storage.
Sleep is very important to help regulate your metabolism and manage your body weight. A lack of sleep can discourage fat loss, making it that much harder to get to your goal weight. So if you feel like you’ve stuck with a strict diet and workout plan and still haven’t seen the results you want, make sure you are getting your beauty sleep.
From beautiful skin to a healthier weight, getting your beauty sleep has many benefits that even have the science to back it up. If you are interested in more benefits of beauty sleep, check out Casper’s infographic below!
Feature Image by JamesDeMers from Pixabay