How Lack of Sleep Affects Your Skin
November 2018 | Reading time: 3 minutes
Experts recommend that adults should have at least 7 to 8 hours sleep a night. Often this is not as simple as it sounds! With the stresses of daily life, families, and work, more and more of us are getting less sleep. But does this affect our skin?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes. If you continuously do not have enough sleep, then this can have detrimental effects on your appearance. People take the condition of their skin for granted, but lack of sleep prevents your body from being healthy.
When we sleep, our body takes this as a chance to repair itself and generate new cells. The body removes dead cells and makes way for new cells to replace them. If this does not take place, then the skin appears dull. Interestingly, supermodel Jodie Kidd was one of thirty women who took part in a sleep study for Bensons for Beds in 2015. The participants were assessed after 8 hours of sleep, and again after five nights of 6 hours sleep. Results showed participants had significantly more lines and wrinkles, and a 75% increase in dark circles under their eyes. Most importantly, the researchers estimated that if the participants continued to have 6 hours of sleep per night, their skin would age prematurely, and even show discolouration. Read more about the study from this Telegraph article.
If you drink alcohol before you go to sleep, this prevents cell generation, no matter how much sleep you get. This is because cell regeneration occurs in a stage of sleep that involves rapid eye movement, known as REM. Alcohol stops REM from happening, meaning that your skin cannot repair. If you frequently drink at night, this could make your skin quickly appear sallow and feel dehydrated.
Crucially, sleep influences moisture levels in your skin. As a result of this, when you sleep, your skin ensures that it stays hydrated. When you do not get enough sleep, this lowers the pH levels in the skin in addition to causing dehydration. Normally, your skin is ever so slightly acidic, which is what makes it glow.
Overall, sleep is the time for your skin to detoxify, and renew. It also has numerous physical and mental health benefits, giving you the energy and motivation to go about your daily life.
Referring to the Telegraph article mentioned above, it is estimated that up to half of the population get less than the recommended 7 hours of sleep per night. The good news is that we can take action to change this!
Avoid looking at any artificial light or your phone for at least an hour before you go to bed. If you look at too much light, this decreases the amount of melatonin in the brain which makes you feel sleepy. As well as this, try and do a relaxing activity before you go to sleep, such as reading or even something as simple as colouring. You must let your body wind down so that you feel ready to sleep!
It is important that you do whatever you can to look after your skin. If you know you are not sleeping well, then make an effort to have an early night to give your body the chance to recover!
If you are interested in improving the quality and appearance of your skin, then take a look at our LED Light Therapy! This uses three types of LED light to reduce signs of ageing such as lines and wrinkles. As well as this, the treatment improves acne, redness and damage that has occurred.
Related Articles
Top 10 Advent Calendars of 2018
It is time to begin the countdown to Christmas! We all know what that means - we must get our...Info: Plasma Eye Lift Glasgow
VIVO Body Studio Glasgow now offers the Plasma Eye Lift, one of the most advanced cosmetic treatments available! What is...Top 10 Weird Facial Treatments
What lengths would you go to in an effort to get younger, healthier looking skin? These weird facial treatments from...Info: Plasma Eye Lift Belfast
VIVO Body Studio Belfast have the solution to drooping eyelids! The advanced Plasma Eye Lift tightens skin around the eyes...Skin Tightening Glasgow – Combat Signs of Ageing
Our advanced Skin Tightening procedure is now available at VIVO Body Studio Glasgow! Keeping a more youthful appearance is essential...Free Laser Hair Removal at VIVO Birmingham!
It’s official; summer is nearly here! Don’t let unwanted hair stop you from strutting your stuff – with our Laser...Myths About Hair Removal
Hair removal is by no means a modern phenomenon. People have been getting rid of hair from their faces and...Embracing the Wonderful World of Miscellany
The Charm of the Unexpected In a world that often craves order and predictability, there's something utterly refreshing about embracing...How the Sun Can Affect Our Health
The majority of us love to be out in the sun, and can't wait when it's time to go on...Ultrasound Cavitation Liverpool
Our revolutionary Ultrasound Cavitation treatment is now available at VIVO Body Studio Liverpool! This treatment produces noticeable reductions in fat from...Skin Tightening Cardiff
Worried that your skin is getting loose? Don't worry - our Skin Tightening procedure at VIVO Body Studio Cardiff is...Is Too Much Exercise Bad for the Body?
Exercise is perhaps the best way to get fit and lose weight in a healthy and natural way. However, too...Happy Customers
1,911 Reviews and CountingMobina carried out this treatment and she is v knowledgable, professional and attentive throughout. I’ve got my next appointment booked & can’t wait to see the results after that session.
I would highly recommend this treatment and Mobina.