Can sleep improve your skin?
Despite what beauty brands tell you, there is no elixir to beautify your skin. You can hydrate and plump it with skincare products, but here's the kicker – you must keep buying the product because the effects are temporary.
Beauty brands spend millions to create the illusion of results and keep you loyal, which can put you into a cycle of constant experimentation. So, what if we told you that sleep could improve your skin? Sleep is good for your skin, and it's completely free unless you stay somewhere.
This article explores the science behind sleep and healthy skin. Could beauty sleep be the elixir you are searching for?
Let's find out!
Sleep and skin – the link
In 2003, Estée Lauder and UH Case Medical Center released a study revealing that only five hours of sleep can lead to twice as many fine lines as getting seven hours.
The study concludes that inadequate sleep is correlated to reduced skin health and accelerated skin ageing. It also leads to slower recovery from stressors such as disruption of the skin barrier and ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Another 2015 study commissioned by the Department of Dermatology found that good sleepers have significantly lower intrinsic skin ageing scores, linking poor sleep quality with increased signs of intrinsic ageing.
Research from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that sleep deprivation activates gene expression patterns that increase the accumulation of damage that initiates cell cycle arrest – speeding up biological ageing.
The bottom line is that sleep deprivation ages you quicker, so sleeping more could be the truck to looking healthier and ageing more slowly.
Sleep and collagen production
Beauty brands sell hundreds of skin creams with added collagen, but did you know your body produces it during sleep?
The skin makes new collagen during sleep as part of its repair process, which is why you tend to look better after a good night's sleep.
It's crucial to note that cell mitosis of the skin is part of your body's circadian rhythm, so it follows a 24-hour cycle. It peaks somewhere between 11 pm and midnight, so falling asleep before 11 pm is crucial to collagen production.
New collagen plumps the skin and reduces the appearance of fine lines, making you look more youthful and healthier the next day.
Growth hormone production
Growth hormone is best known for stimulating growth in children and adolescents, stimulating height, bone length, and muscle growth. However, it also plays a critical role in the appearance of skin in adults.
For example, insufficient GH can lead to hypopituitarism, a rare disorder causing alterations in pigmentation and dry, thin skin. The release of growth hormone increases significantly in sleep, accounting for as much as 75% of total production.
Growth hormone as an anti-ageing treatment shows exciting results, with diminished GH secretion causing thinning of the skin in old age.
Atopic dermatitis
If you have atopic dermatitis (eczema), you'll be interested to know it is associated with sleep disturbances in 47% to 80% of children and 33% to 90% of adults. Simply put, you are more likely to have eczema with poor sleep.
Many protein deficiencies that cause eczema are exasperated by poor sleep. Filaggrin (filament aggregating protein) production can be stunted by poor sleep, leading to dry and flaking skin that can get worse over time.
While there's no known cure for eczema, getting more high-quality sleep could help turn the tide and improve your symptoms.
Summing up
Getting more high-quality sleep reduces the effects of ageing and improves skin appearance with cellular repair and collagen production.
While moisturisers and creams provide immediate hydration and plumping, they are nothing more than temporary measures. Getting enough sleep is more important to looking and feeling healthier, as is your diet and lifestyle.
If you enjoyed this article, read our pieces on beating insomnia and fixing your sleep schedule to improve your sleep quality.