Getting your skincare routine right: The importance of sleep

Americans spend an average of $3,756 on their appearance every year, which breaks down to over $300 per month. Over half of that amount is spent on skin and hair care – but what if the miracle ingredient for your beauty regimen isn’t one of those products, but completely cost-free? You already know that what you eat and drink significantly impacts skin health and appearance, but the amount and quality of sleep you get are also huge factors in your skin and hair health.

Sleep Deprivation And Your Skin

When you don’t get enough sleep, it’s not just your mental health that suffers. Physical effects of sleep deprivation include redness and puffiness around the eyes, dark under-eye circles, and exacerbated wrinkles on the face. Sleeping is what allows your skin to repair the wear and tear of the day, and if you don’t sleep for long enough for your skin to complete the process, your skin suffers. To avoid fatigue, you should try to get seven to nine hours of sleep a night.

Improving Your Sleep And Skin

Since sleeping better can improve your skin and hair health as well as your general happiness, it’s important that you know how. Drinking caffeine or alcohol before bed is bad for your sleep, so avoid those. While moderate physical activity can help you wind down in order to get to sleep, vigorous exercise can have the opposite effect, waking your body up instead of helping it to rest. Crucially, your bedroom and your bed should be the most comfortable and relaxing place possible. A good mattress is essential to a good night’s sleep, and so is a relaxing environment: try to eliminate any distractions, unnecessary noise, and unnecessary light. If that’s not enough, it might be time to try an eye mask. Setting yourself up for a good night’s sleep can not only improve your mood but also your skin. 

Quality And Quantity: Deep Sleep

Of course, it’s not just the number of hours that counts. You should always be trying to get good quality sleep, meaning you don’t wake up or have interrupted sleep during the night. Sleeping poorly can have similar consequences to not sleeping at all: it exacerbates dark circles as well as water loss through the skin, leaving you dehydrated. Sleeping poorly can also make you irritable and less satisfied with your own appearance. To get good quality sleep, you should allow yourself time to wind down before you sleep, and try to sleep in the most relaxed environment possible.

A skincare routine can take a long time to pin down – there are so many products to choose between, and your skin will react differently to each one. But sleep isn’t skin type specific, exclusive, or expensive – you already do it every day! A few tweaks to your nighttime routine can make a world of difference, both in your skin and in your life.