FIVE REASONS IT’S CALLED BEAUTY SLEEP
“Get your beauty sleep” isn’t just a catchy phrase; it’s as essential a part of your skincare routine as your cleanser, serum, moisturiser and sunscreen. Research confirms this, and skin-savvy scientists agree – sleep is when your skin does its most important beautifying work, restoring the epidermis and enabling your skincare regime to deliver on its promises.
If you’re not regularly getting 7 to 9 hours of quality shut-eye at night, here are FIVE REASONS you should swap the late-night social media scrolling, or an episode of the latest ‘must watch’ miniseries for some glow-getting zzz’s.
#1 THERE REALLY IS POWER IN A NAP.
The time you spend asleep is when your body uses to repair itself – from your brain and muscles to your epidermis. While you have sweet dreams, your skin’s blood flow increases, enabling your skin (your largest organ) to rebuild its collagen and repair the damage from UV exposure.'
#2 MORE REST MEANS FEWER WRINKLES
Research continues to show that a lack of sleep is linked to an increase in fine lines and wrinkles. But does a couple of hours, more or less, really make a difference? Yes! Only getting five hours of sleep a night can lead to twice as many fine lines as sleeping for seven hours would.
#3 LIGHTS OFF, GLOW ON!
How much your skin glows is provenly connected to how much sleep you get. Why? Because your body uses your downtime to up the blood flow to the skin while you snooze. The more effective the blood flow and blood supply, the more dewy and selfie-ready your skin. The less time you give your skin to recover, regenerate and renew itself in the dark, the more drab, ashen and tired your skin will look in daylight.
#4 YOU CAN HIDE THOSE TIRED EYES
And we’re not talking about some well-placed colour-correcting concealer. Dark circles, puffiness or bags under your eyes are predominantly caused by lack of sleep. When you’re falling short in the sleep department, blood doesn’t flow as optimally as it should, collecting under the eyes and becoming visible as dark circles because the under-eye skin is so thin. That’s the bad news. The good news? You don’t need to spend a small fortune on super fancy eye cream or glittery celeb-approved under-eye sticky gel pads. But, you do need to invest in rest, stay well hydrated and consider elevating your head at night with an extra pillow to reduce swelling.
#5 YOUR PRODUCTS ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE
During the day, your skin has to be reactive, defending itself from the elements, like the sun and free radicals. While you sleep, your skin gets to be proactive, repairing itself. The same applies to your skincare products. Your morning skincare routine protects your skin from constant environmental threats while you’re out and about. However, your bedtime skincare routine gets to work without distraction, repairing and improving your complexion. The more time you’re asleep, the more time you give your after dark lotions and potions to work their magic before washing them off and starting the skincare cycle again.
TIP: If you’re getting 6 hours or less of sleep every night, try to add an extra hour at first, gradually increasing it to two or three. Within just two or three weeks, you’ll feel better holistically and see a noticeable difference in your skin’s appearance.
