Sleep and Skin: Is Your Sleep Pattern Affecting Your Skin’s Health?

November 11, 2020

If you’re like us, you might be finding yourself staying up later than usual. The global shift of staying at home has been connected to our changes in our circadian rhythms. The prominent being our sleep-wake cycle - leaving more hours to staying awake. Although we have more free time to perfect our skincare routine, our skin might not have the results we expect due to sleep deprivation.

How Sleep Can Affect Skin Health

Sleeping is the body’s natural way of healing wounds, fighting infections, energizing, and building immunity. This is not exclusive to these benefits. Sleep not only affects skin appearance but the skin’s overall health.

In 2013, a research team examined the relationship between sleep and skin on women between 30 and 49. The team found that those with poor sleep showed increased aging, uneven pigmentation, and slow skin repair. Sleep deprivation ultimately weakens the skin’s ability to recover from sun damage, environmental toxins, and other stressors. Another study discovered that sleep deprivation had caused:

Skin dehydration
Impaired skin barrier function
Decreased elasticity
Translucent skin
Accumulated dead skin cells
Increased pore size
Decreased blood flow
Paler skin tone
Dark circles

Committing to at least 8 hours of sleep every day ensures that our skin is continually repairing itself. Producing collagen, maintaining elasticity, tightening pores, and healing wounds. The quality of our skin appearance is also linked to our mental health and how we feel about ourselves.

Getting Your Sleep Pattern Back on Track

Now more than ever, it is essential that we take the rest necessary to achieve the goals in all areas of our life. While it might be difficult at first to get your circadian rhythm back on track, there are a few things you can do to get the beauty sleep your skin needs.

Tip #1: Do your cardio workouts in the morning

Suppose you are doing cardio workouts in the evening. In that case, you might be giving your body that extra boost of energy to stay up longer. By working out in the morning, you give yourself enough energy throughout the day before it’s time to hit the sack. Yoga is an excellent alternative for the evening time. With muscle-soothing stretching and mindful breathing, your body and mind become centered and relaxed before bed.

Tip #2: Avoid caffeine or sugar before bed

Caffeine and other sugars should be avoided if you’re trying to get more sleep. Foods like coffee, soda, chocolates, energy drinks often keep you awake for longer or disrupt your sleeping hours. Instead, prepare a relaxing chamomile tea when you’re ready to go to bed.

Tip #3: Set reminders or a schedule on your phone

When working from home, it has become more difficult to remember we must sleep. Set your own sleeping curfew by setting reminders on Google Calendar or iOS “Bedtime” Clock feature. It’s also vital that you keep a simple schedule of your hours for work and stick to it.

Tip #4: Infuse scents into your bedtime routine

Scents are a perfect way to relax your mind and ease your body into sleep. You can infuse aromas into your bedtime routine by lighting candles, incense, or adding a few drops of essential oils to your diffuser. Scents that are great for sleeping are lavender, vanilla, eucalyptus, or mint. Natural scents in skincare products can also give that needed motivation for rest. Try our peppermint Clarifying Gel and Exfoliating Cleanser as the perfect addition to your nighttime skincare routine.

Tip #5: Find the sounds that soothe you

Lo-Fi playlists are "the crave" for either work, study, or sleep. But if these sounds are not right for you, explore smooth jazz, nature sounds, meditation frequencies, or a TED Talk lecture. Playing relaxing sounds while lying in bed can help you to get into the groove of sleep.

Look Regenerated with Perfec-Tone’s Revitalizing Serum

Transform your skin with Perfec-Tone Revitalizing Serum. As we age, our skin’s elasticity weakens, causing signs of aging. Our Revitalizing Serum contains Apple Stem Cells to regenerate new skin cells and produce collagen and elastin, the proteins responsible for skin’s elasticity and smoothness. Combined with our overnight Resurfacing Crème, this product does magic in changing the look of our skin.