How Getting Enough Sleep is Important to the Skin and Overall Health

It’s not a secret that getting enough sleep is important to our skin, body and overall health. But why is it that many people still tend to ignore this? Our lifestyle has changed a lot especially when the pandemic started. We have been forced into creating a different lifestyle from what we were used to, and that includes our sleep patterns.

As we transitioned to doing almost everything at home, people’s mobility has lessened which means our energies are not being used up, thus making it more difficult for us to sleep at night. When the quality of sleep decreases, so does our health and one of the earliest manifestations of lack of sleep can be seen in our skin.

Why is sleep important to skin? 

When it comes to skin care and your beauty routine, sleep is the fountain of youth, the closest thing there is to it anyway. Sleeping gives your body the chance to recover, replenish and rejuvenate, which leads to a long list of very good benefits for your appearance. The key is to get enough – 7-8 hours of a good quality sleep. If you get less than 6 hours of it, it shows a lot of difference in your appearance. 

Beauty benefits of getting enough sleep

1. Fewer wrinkles – skin makes new collagen when you sleep which prevents it from sagging. More collagen means plumper skin and is likely to wrinkle. Being deprived of sleep causes the skin to become dull.
2. Less puffy and brighter eyes- blood doesn’t flow well when you lack sleep and it collects under your eyes. It becomes visible because the skin under the eye area is thin.
3. Healthier and fuller hair – Lack of sleep affects the hair a lot. It can lead to breakage, hair loss, damage and even stop growth. The hair follicles get their nutrients, vitamins and minerals from blood flow. Lack of sleep decreases blood flow.

How much sleep do we really need?

A lot of people claim that they don’t need much sleep. However, the truth is most of us need a lot more than we get. There are a few lucky people who, due to their genetics and a rare gene mutation, can function normally on just six hours of sleep each night. 

But, six hours is still a good chunk of sleep for many people today due to the high demands on time. Let’s see more about how much sleep is really needed each night and then learn how to ensure we get it.

When it comes to getting enough sleep, and while it does vary slightly for different people, most of us (as adults) need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. The only way to be sure that you’re getting enough sleep is to experiment but start with the longest period – not the shortest.

Sleep Quality Matters Too

Technically, a person getting enough sleep each night should be able to fall asleep within about 20 minutes without any issues and wake up within 20 minutes when the alarm goes off without much of a struggle. Then, we should be able to get through the day with enough energy to be as productive as we need to be.

While it may sound easy, getting a good night’s sleep does come with a lot of challenges. Here’s how you can make it easier to sleep:

• Get the right bed and mattress
• Set the room temperature
• Set the mood for sleeping
• Create a wholesome bedtime routine

Many people have been obsessed with trying to find out the secret of having ageless skin. The answer couldn’t be much farther than just shutting your eyes, literally. Sleep, a good quality sleep. Of course, there are other things you could do or use to enhance the quality of your skin, like facials and products, but the bottom line is, glowing skin is best achieved when you take the best skin care product of all, sleep. 

If you need more help for your skin care than just getting sleep, book an appointment with us.