Sleep and Skincare

“Ever ravaged by the tempests of life, I ought to sleep in nature’s bosom”

(Yes, this is a bad picture)

Don’t look it up… It’s a quote I made up. Essentially, what I wanted to convey is that in life, especially for people like us, sleep is the most important thing. While food, water, and shelter (and the internet) are the physical requirements of our body, sleep is a mental requirement of our body. We all know that sleep deprivation has drastic effects on our mind. We become irritable, unfocused, and tend to make mistakes more often. So much so that driving while sleep deprived is considered as bad as driving under the influence. But, did you know that proper sleep has drastic effects on our skin as well? We all know the usual. Dark circles, lines, and the works but proper sleep is as important for the health of our skin as it is for its physical appearance. So here are all the reasons why a good sleeping pattern is important for your skin and mine.

Reduced thickness of the skin

It is common knowledge that skin regenerates and is shred. Your epidermal cells last for a maximum of 28 days. This is perpetrated by the growth hormone secreted by your pituitary gland. When our body does not get enough sleep, the secretion of growth hormone is reduced and this can cause, among other things, the thickness of our skin to reduce. This in turn means reduced collagen which can cause fine lines and wrinkles to develop early.

Drier skin

None of us like caky, flaky makeup now, do we? Then why is it that we are ready to tolerate dry, flaky skin? While yes, moisturizers are an easy and quick fix, if you can’t afford a premium brand moisturizer, all you need is proper water intake and good sleep. When we are sleep deprived, our skin loses its ability to act as a barrier and begins to lose its water content causing the skin to become drier. So, if you want to prevent dry skin… just sleep well.

Dark circles

Now, this is one we all know about. If you have followed a DIY coffee mask tutorial then you know that dark circles are majorly a result of lack of sleep. While yes, sometimes genetics are to blame, the symptoms are exasperated when you don’t get enough sleep. This happens because lack of sleep causes blood to pool in your under eyes, causing them to look redder and swollen.

Honestly, when I set out to write this blog, I didn’t know much about the effects of sleep on the skin either. I was just sleepy and thought “Huh? Maybe I can write about this?”. But, now that I know how useful sleep is to make you look good, I’m going to go curl up in my blankets and catch some Z’s.

I hope you all do that too. Stay hydrated, stay safe, and get good sleep. Bye!