Why is it that when I wake up, my skin is smoother than it was when I went to bed?
We go to a great deal of effort in order to have attractive skin when we wake up in the morning. The surfaces of our bathroom countertops are crammed with a variety of products, including foundation by Fenty, skin care in a 10-step regimen, and the most recent clean beauty brands that we got from Amazon.
What if, on the other hand, taking a sleep was one of the best kept secrets to having healthier skin, and everyone knew it but you? Despite the fact that we are unconscious, our bodies continue to carry out daily tasks while we sleep.
Science and research provide credence to the notion that beauty can be restored via relaxation. When you’re asleep, your body does the majority of its important cellular and epidermal healing work.
While you shouldn’t fully forgo your daily skin care routine in favour of getting more sleep, there are a few basic measures that can strengthen the interaction between your skin and sleep, which will show in the results you see in the morning.
Aspects of sleep that are related to the skin
When you wake up looking like this, it’s almost instantly obvious that you didn’t have a good night’s sleep, which isn’t exactly going to do wonders for your face. According to study that is even older (2013), only one night of poor sleep can lead to the following:
- suspended eyelids
- larger under-eye circles and swollen eyes
- a paler complexion, more fine lines and creases, and more drooping around the mouth corners.
In a study that was conducted in 2017, it was found that participants’ evaluations of their attractiveness, health, fatigue, and reliability were all significantly influenced when they were deprived of sleep for two consecutive days.
As a result, a problem that appears to surface all of a sudden could actually evolve into something that is more persistent over time.
The first thing you need to take into consideration is the fact that while you sleep, your body works to restore itself. This holds true for your skin just as much as it does for your skeletal muscles or cerebral cortex.
While you sleep, the blood flow to your skin increases, and the tissue heals damage caused by ultraviolet light and rebuilds its collagen. This helps prevent wrinkles and age spots.
Second, if you sleep the recommended seven to nine hours each night, your face will most likely be exposed to the environment for a significant length of time while you are sleeping. This is true even if you cover your face with a pillow.
Think about what may happen to the appearance of your skin and the health of your skin if you spent one-third of your life rubbing your face against cotton that was itchy and drying and then spent two hours outside without any protection from the sun.
The following are some things you may do to give your skin a rest and make it feel better.
1. Ensure that you get a good night’s sleep.
The best thing you can do for your skin — and for your overall health — is to make sure you get the recommended amount of sleep each night.
A lack of sleep can have a number of unfavourable impacts on your skin, including the following:
skin that matures at a faster rate.
Your level of contentment with the condition of your skin will decrease as a direct result of your skin’s diminished ability to recuperate as effectively from environmental stresses such as sun exposure.
There will be days when nothing goes right for you, but on the whole, you should aim to obtain between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. If you want to get some rest and reset your body clock at the same time, you should try sleeping in on the weekends and following our three-day repair plan.
Your sleep habits can also be monitored through a fitness tracker that you wear on your body.
2. Wash your face thoroughly before retiring for the night.
It has been established why having a sufficient amount of sleep is necessary for your skin to mend itself: blood flow increases, collagen is rebuilt, and your facial muscles unwind after an exhausting day of use.
Having a dirty face when you sleep, on the other hand, may also cause your skin’s appearance to deteriorate.
When it comes to washing your skin at night, you shouldn’t use expensive products or scrub too forcefully. This step is perhaps probably even more important than when you do it in the morning. Makeup, dirt, and oil buildup can all be removed with the help of a gentle cleanser.
You don’t want to give the irritants that clogged your pores during the day the opportunity to linger in your skin overnight because it could cause damage. The result of this could be:
blemishes of acne characterised by large pores, dry skin, infections, and irritation
3. Moisturize your skin every night and make sure to drink lots of water.
It is possible for your skin to get dry as a result of washing your face and sleeping, particularly if you undertake any of these activities in an environment with low humidity. Even though being hydrated by drinking water will help in certain ways, the best thing you can do for your skin at night is use a moisturiser that is applied topically.
To reiterate, you do not need to purchase the most expensive thing that is currently available. To calm your skin while you sleep, all you need to do is use a cream or oil that is richer in consistency. Another option is to begin by applying your daily moisturiser, and then, using hands that have been thoroughly cleaned, spread petroleum jelly on top of the moisturiser in order to lock in the moisture.
If you want a more effective product, you should try using a sleeping mask at night.
4. Use a certain pillowcase or sleep on your back to alleviate neck pain.
Because you spend so much time sleeping—nearly a third of each day—it stands to reason that the position in which your face is held could have an impact on your complexion.
When you sleep on a surface made of scratchy cotton for extended periods of time, your skin may become irritated, and your face may become squeezed, which can contribute to wrinkles. Although wrinkling of the face and chest might be caused by sleeping on our bellies or sides, the vast majority of facial wrinkles are the result of the expressions we make when we are awake.
Even if you have to retrain yourself over a period of time, sleeping on your back is a straightforward solution that also provides a few additional benefits.
If you tend to sleep on your side, you should invest in a pillow that is gentle on the skin. Pillowcases made of copper oxide have been shown to reduce the appearance of crow’s feet and other fine lines, while satin or silk pillows protect the skin from irritation and constriction.
5. Keep a level mind at all times.
Snoring, acid reflux, and nasal drip are all disorders that can reduce the quality of your sleep, which can, in turn, have an adverse effect on your skin. It has been established that keeping your head in an elevated position can assist alleviate the symptoms of various illnesses. In addition, it can assist in the reduction of bags and circles under your eyes since it improves blood circulation and stops blood from accumulating by stopping blood from gathering.
Use of a wedge-shaped mattress, an additional cushion, or even lifting the head of your bed a few inches are all simple methods that can be utilised to elevate the position of the sleeper’s head when they are in deep slumber.
