5 Effects of Sleep Deprivation That Are Aging Your Skin
Getting your beauty sleep is a must for an ageless complexion
Sleep is essential and the quality and length that you get every night has a big impact on your health. During sleep, our bodies recharge and heal. When sleep is compromised, so is our body’s ability to carry out these essential functions.
Are you getting enough sleep?
Adults require a minimum of 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. However, data from the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says that 35% of American adults are not getting the minimum amount of sleep every night.
Lack of sleep is detrimental to both our physical and mental health. Not only is it linked to an array of serious health problems including obesity, diabetes, depression and heart disease, but lack of sleep can also wreak havoc on our skin.
Keep reading to learn how not getting adequate sleep can cause trouble for your skin and learn some nighttime tips and tricks that will help you achieve clear and beautiful skin come morning!
1. Your skin becomes imbalanced.
Not getting enough sleep can really do a number on your skin. One of its negative effects is disrupting the balance of your skin’s moisture and natural pH level. This leads to dryness, unnecessary redness and leaves you exposed and more prone to breakouts. Signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles also become more noticeable.
Before bed, make sure to use hydrating skin care products that will help keep your skin at a slightly acidic level while you slumber. Our Day/Night Cream will keep your skin moisturized while keeping bacteria out so that you can achieve healthy skin overnight.
2. You develop dark circles.
Pesky dark circles under the eyes are one of the most telling signs of sleep deprivation. Dark circles can make you look years older than you really are. When you are sleep deprived, your skin becomes dull and pale. Since the skin around your eyes is thinner than other parts of your face, the dark tissues and blood vessels under the eyes becomes more apparent. Thus, causing what we refer to as dark circles.
Remember that proper skincare is not enough in order to keep your skin looking radiant and youthful. If you are suffering from dark circles due to fatigue, getting enough sleep is still the key to reducing the blue and purple shadows under your eyes.
3. Frequent under-eye bags.
Unfortunately, lack of sleep also leads to unsightly bags under the eyes. This happens if you sleep on your stomach. Excessive amounts of fluid in your body pools under the eyes as you sleep, resulting in what may appear to be puffiness and swelling under your eyes by the morning. To combat this, avoid sleeping on your stomach and prop your head up a bit with pillows. Doing this will help keep the fluids in your body from pooling under your eyes.
An eye cream or an eye gel can help diminish puffiness. Check out our Radiance Eye Gel. Packed with hyaluronic acid and tripeptides, it forms a tightening film on the skin’s surface to help reduce puffy skin around the eye. As the gel is absorbed into the delicate eye area, it has a lifting effect that visibly plumps and restores moisture to the under eye area. With continued use, the skin around your eyes develops a more firm and vibrant appearance.
4. Your skin ages faster.
Not getting enough sleep accelerates your skin’s aging process. Just like any other cell in your body, your skin needs a full night’s sleep to repair and rejuvenate.
During deep sleep, growth hormones increase and initiate the repair of your damaged cells. When your sleep cycle is cut short, your skin cells suffer. When the daily skin cell breakdowns do not get repaired overnight, signs of aging such as wrinkles and fine lines start to form and become more prominent over time.
In fact, a research study has found that women ranging from 30 to 49 who get 8 hours or more sleep every night have less wrinkles, dark circles and age spots compared to women who slept less than 6 hours a night.
5. Lack of sleep worsens skin conditions
If you have sensitive skin and you are prone to breakouts, insufficient sleep will only make things worse.
Not having enough sleep increases your stress hormones — a common trigger for acne. When acne breakouts occur, your skin will become inflamed and more sensitive. There is also an increased chance for other skin problems to occur such as allergic contact dermatitis and irritant dermatitis.
Sleep and the Skin
So what really happens to your skin as you sleep? Read on for more insight on the importance of having a good night’s rest.
Your skin cells are repaired
During the first three hours of sleep, the pituitary gland of our brain starts producing the human growth hormone. This hormone is necessary for maintaining youthful and radiant skin. If not released by the body, the damaged skin cells do not get the chance to repair themselves. Cell deterioration is what ultimately leads to signs of aging.
Your skin is protected from free radicals
After four to five hours of sleep, the release of the hormone melatonin increases. Melatonin is responsible for regulating your body’s internal clock. It is also important for skin health because of its antioxidant properties. It helps protect the skin from damaging free radicals that we may have encountered during the day.
Your skin rests and recovers
At the final three hours of sleep, you are in active REM sleep. At this phase, your cortisol levels — aka the stress hormone — decrease. This is also when your skin’s temperature starts to drop to its lowest, allowing your muscles to relax and give the skin its deepest recovery of the night.
Tips for better sleep and better skin
If you’re having a hard time getting enough sleep, here are some tips to get a good night's sleep for better skin.
Establish a bedtime routine
Going to bed at the same time every night will make it easier for you to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Stick to your schedule and make sure that you try to hit the sack around the same time every single night.
Limit alcohol intake
Drinking as little as two servings of alcohol within 90 minutes of your bedtime prevents your system from achieving the REM phase of your sleeping cycle. While it may provide short term relaxation, it actually will cause you to feel more tired the next day since it deters you from reaching the deepest sleep cycle.
Get high thread count sheets and pillowcases
Low thread count fabric is rough to the touch and also can be damaging to your complexion. The friction against your skin can cause breakouts and may contribute to fine lines and wrinkles over time. Invest in high thread count beddings. Silk pillow cases in particular are excellent and very gentle on the skin.
Keep up your sleep hygiene
Wash your bedding at least once every two weeks. Use warm water and high heat to kill off dust mites and bacteria. Also refrain from using laundry detergents that have strong fragrances as they can be irritating to the skin.
Don't eat before you sleep
Eat your last meal 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. Going to bed with a full stomach can cause sleep disturbances that contribute to insomnia.
Keep electronics out of the bedroom
Even though the brightness of your device is at its lowest, the blue spectrum light that it emits impacts your melatonin levels. It alerts your brain and therefore, keeps you awake longer. This harms your internal clock and leaves you feeling tired in the morning. Avoid gadgets 90 minutes before bedtime to ensure a good night's sleep so you wake up to great skin!
Nighttime Skincare Routine
Diligently performing your nighttime skincare routine on a consistent basis is one of the best things you can do for a healthy and flawless complexion. Applying the right skincare products before bed really gets the most out of your "beauty sleep.”
Follow these simple steps every night before bed and wake up to beautiful skin in the morning.
Step 1: Cleanse
Cleansing your face at the end of the day is a hard-and-fast rule when it comes to caring for your skin. Dirt, sweat and oils accumulate on your skin’s surface throughout the day. Failing to remove them before you sleep can cause skin irritation, inflammation and acne breakouts.
Use a facial cleanser that completely eliminates dirt and oil, but still keeps skin moisturized. Try our Vitamin C Facial Cleanser!
Squeeze a dime-sized amount of YEOUTH Vitamin C Facial Cleanser onto moistened fingertips and lather with water. Massage onto skin in circular motions and then thoroughly rinse off.
Step 2: Tone
Always tone after cleansing your face! Aside from restoring the skin's pH to its normal level, using a facial toner will moisten, soothe and prepare the skin to absorb all of your other skincare products better.
Try our Balancing Facial Toner. A calming mist that revitalizes the skin after cleansing. Packed with skin healing active ingredients, this toner will fit perfectly into your daily regimen!
Balancing Facial Toner ( $15.95 )
Keeping eyes closed, spray a fine mist of YEOUTH Balancing Facial Toner over face and neck.
Step 3: Nourish
At night, the skin’s barrier is more penetrable so the skincare products you use are absorbed more effectively. This makes it the perfect time to use products that contain ingredients like vitamin C, vitamin E, retinol or alpha hydroxy acid. They are much more suitable to be used at night since they do not have to compete with the effects of sunlight.
We recommend the Retinol 2.5% Serum and the Hyaluronic Acid Plus Serum. These are perfect for your nighttime skincare routine. Retinol serum boosts collagen production, evens out your skin tone, minimizes pores, improves skin elasticity and helps to mitigate acne as you sleep overnight. HA Plus tightens and firms the skin, hydrates skin to even crevices and fill wrinkles, evens skin tone and reduces age spots. Use according to your skin’s needs or use them together as a dynamic duo that treats skin overnight.
Retinol Serum with Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E and Aloe Vera ( $19.95 )
While skin is still damp, apply a pea-sized amount of Retinol serum to your entire face and neck area. Immediately follow with the Hyaluronic Acid Plus. You do not need to allow the Retinol serum to fully absorb before applying the Hyaluronic Acid Plus. Allow the skin to absorb.
Hyaluronic Acid Plus Serum with Vitamin C and Tripeptide 31 for Night ( $29.95 )
Step 4: Eye Care
Don’t forget about your eyes! The skin in this area is ten times thinner compared to other parts of the face, making it much more delicate. This particular area of skin also does not contain the same amount of oil and moisture. These factors make the skin around our eyes more vulnerable to the environment and more prone to dryness and wrinkles.
Give your eyes the treatment it deserves with our Retinol Eye cream. This lightweight, yet powerful eye cream works to fight fine wrinkles, crow’s feet, discoloration and restore elasticity and firmness in the eye area.
Gently dab a small amount of YEOUTH Retinol Eye Cream around the eye area. It is safe to use above and below the eyes.
Step 5: Moisturize
You may not notice it but a lot of changes happen to your skin overnight. The skin reaches its highest temperature and becomes slightly more acidic at night. Clinical studies also show a significant decrease in sebum production at night.
All of these changes cause the skin to lose moisture and become excessively dry. Before bedtime, use serums, masks or creams that are packed with hydrating ingredients like aloe vera, ceramides or hyaluronic acid to sustain your skin’s need for moisture while you sleep.
Try our Day/Night Cream for a super hydrating morning and night moisturizer. Apply a dime-sized amount onto skin, massage in thoroughly and allow to absorb.
Make your evening skincare routine a priority. On top of that, try to catch some shut eye around the same time each night to guarantee that you get your much needed beauty sleep. Wake up feeling and looking refreshed and ready to put your best face forward!