In this day and age, all we do is work all day then get home to watch Netflix or get on social media, it seems that sleep isn’t a big priority any more.
Our lives are filled with light from our laptop screens and from our phones. But a lack of sleep can cause problems that will make you reconsider scrolling instead of sleeping
A lack of sleep is not doing any good for our bodies, our skin or our general health.
Beauty sleep is a real thing, you actually wake up looking and feeling better after a good night’s sleep, that is why it’s so important.
Lack of sleep can be the reason behind a number of undesirable effects on our bodies. Sleep can have a bad effect on your health and we should try to get more of it.
More sleep will also help you look more beautiful, fresher and just less tired in general, which is a goal for many.
Lack of sleep skin problems, why you should sleep more
Table of Contents
How does lack of sleep affect your appearance?
Our skin regenerates when we sleep, lack of sleep can have these effects on us:
Premature ageing:
When we sleep our bodies repair the cells in our bodies including our face.
When we aren’t allowed to sleep as much as we need to out cells do not become repaired, rather the damaged ones increase in number and we start to look older
Moisture Imbalance:
When we sleep, our bodies are better able to balance the water in our skin. The body does this by processing the excess water so we are able to properly drain it.
If we don’t sleep we can’t do that. Moisturising during the nighttime will help our skin regulate water better and look better in general. You can moisturise your face overnight as well.
Raccoon eyes:
These dark circles happen as a result of a lack of sleep. If we don’t get enough sleep the blood vessels under the eyes will dilate.
This results in the blood under your eyes pooling up creating these dark circles under the eyes.
Dull skin:
When we don’t get enough sleep the body breaks down the body’s natural collagen and hyaluronic acid reserves. This results in the loss of the skins glow.
Luckily we can get the hyaluronic acid back into our skin by using serums and by sleeping more. This hyaluronic acid serum is well-loved and widely used.
Increased acne:
Our skin has a higher chance of becoming and staying inflamed if we don’t get enough sleep. This can show up in the form of increased acne inflammation and breakouts.
When your skin doesn’t get enough sleep it releases cortisol which increases inflammation.
Other effects lack of sleep has on you:
- You’ll feel groggier if you don’t get enough sleep, this will show up in impaired concentration, vision, reasoning and attention
- You’ll be more susceptible to a host of diseases which will include irregular heartbeat, heart attacks, strokes, heart disease and heart failure.
- If you sleep for less than 6 hours a night you can be at higher risk of getting depression. Insomnia is one of the first symptoms of depression.
- If you sleep less you’ll gain more of an appetite and eat more. This can lead to weight gain if not dealt with.
- During sleep, your body makes way for new synapses. This allows new brain and blood cells to emerge and the old brain and blood cells are removed. If you don’t sleep this cant happen.
How many hours of sleep do you need?
You need a full 8 hours of sleep. Sleep is divided into 3 sections
- The first two hours of sleep are when the skin produces the human growth hormone. This is responsible for the upkeep of youthful and radiant skin
- The next two hours is another benefit to your skincare. This is when your body produces the antioxidant that protects the skin from free radical damage. This antioxidant is called melatonin.
- The last 3 hours are when the levels of cortisol decrease, this is the stress hormone. This is when your body is the most relaxed.
Is 5 hours of sleep enough?
Taking 5 hours of sleep is definitely not enough.
You may need to sleep for 5 hours to get some work done or if you have something to study for but don’t make this a habit.
If you sleep less than the recommended 7-8 hours a day your body starts showing the effects of a lack of sleep, it won’t work as well as it should.
Having too little sleep can affect you mentally, physically and can affect your skin in a negative way as well.
If you’re a school-aged child you should be sleeping for 9-11 hours, if you’re a teenager a good amount of sleep to have is 8-10 hours.
If you’re a young adult get 7-9 hours of sleep, an adult should get 7-9 hours of sleep and if you’re older you shod have 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
How to sleep better:
- You need to make sure to switch off your technological devices 90 minutes before you go to sleep. This will allow you to relax and fall asleep better.
- Be sure that the detergents used for your linens don’t irritate your skin, you can avoid this by using detergents that don’t have a strong fragrance.
- Ensure that your room is as dark and as quiet as possible for good sleep.
- Ensure that you eat your big meals earlier in the day and you drink most of your water earlier in the day.
What is the most effective natural sleep aid?
If you’re really having trouble getting to sleep at night there a couple of things you can take that will help you get to sleep easier.
Taking melatonin will help you get to sleep better. The body naturally produces melatonin and this signals to the body that it’s time to sleep.
This hormone increases at night triggering the need for us to sleep, you can take a supplement to sleep better.
Magnesium can also be used to aid in sleep as it helps to calm the mind and the body. When your mind and your body is calm you can fall asleep faster. You can get a supplement online or over the counter
Lavender is used in various products because it is known to calm the body. You can use an oil diffuser to release lavender oil into your room for a night of better sleep.
This oil diffuser is well-loved and widely used.
This can be used for aromatherapy and over the counter sleep medications depending on how you choose to take it.
What are the physical symptoms of lack of sleep?
A lack of sleep can affect not only your skin health and your mental health but it can also affect your physical health. The physical symptoms of a lack of sleep include:
Slurred speech: this is a symptom that mimics the effects of drinking alcohol, the less sleep you get the less control you have over your speech
Non-normal eye functions: the less sleep you get the less control you have over your eyes. This includes having more droopy eyelids which make you look sleepier and uncontrolled eye movements
Shaky hands: your hands can also be affected by limited sleep. If you lack sleep your body won’t be rested and you may experience shaky hands.
Sensitivity to pain: this can come in the form of hypersensitivity to heat, cold and pressure or pain on any area of your body. The less sleep you get the more you become sensitive to pain
Changes in vital signs: You may find that your body temperature decreases, and you develop long pauses in-between your breaths.
Does a lack of sleep make your face puffy?
If you have heavy eyelids, a heavy jawline, puffy under yes and even a puffy face you may need more sleep.
When we sleep our body rejuvenates itself helping to get rid of all the toxins in the face. If you don’t sleep well enough your face can get puffy.
Not getting enough sleep actually causes water retention on the face and this creates puffiness.
When you sleep the body removes the excess fluids from the soft tissue of the face and drains it. If you don’t sleep not only does this not happen but the opposite happens.
Does poor sleep quality affect skin ageing?
Yes, poor sleep quality does affect skin ageing.
Not only does having a lack of sleep affect your memory and conative abilities but a lack of sleep can actually make you look older.
When you don’t sleep well your skin shows signs of premature ageing and your skin loses its ability to recover from sun exposure as well as it would have if you had been sleeping well.
The effects of not sleeping include more uneven pigmentation, more fine lines and less skin elasticity than people who sleep well. So if you want to avoid all of this you should sleep for the 7-8 hours night.
How do you reduce a puffy face?
The first thing you should do if you have a puffy face is to get more sleep. This will naturally get the fluid in your face to a normal level.
Use cool water on your face as you wake up, this helps to tone down the swelling.
You can also apply a cool jade roller, a face mask that has been in the fridge or an eye mask to reduce puffiness.
In general, do not eat much salty foods, try to remove them from your diet as much as possible.
Salt is known to retain water in your body making you look puffy. Also, limit the amount of alcohol your drink. Rather drink lots of water this will keep you hydrated.
While you sleep try to sleep on your back, this will not only reduce the number of wrinkles you get but this will also help keep the puffiness off of your face.
Do naps make up for lost sleep?
If you hadn’t had a good night’s sleep the night before then taking a nap can make up for lost sleep. Napping can give you the boost of rest you need to survive the rest of your day.
Napping will help you become more alert and you’ll wake up in a much better mood than you were in before you took the nap. But don’t sleep for too long, a good amount of time to nap for is 20 minutes.
If you nap for longer than this you may reduce your ability to sleep a night.
I hope you enjoyed this article looking at how sleep can affect your skincare. I hope that you are having a good night’s sleep for good skin. If you enjoyed this article please share it.
