Sleep your way to better skin
Getting at least seven hours of sleep is life-altering: It improves mental tenacity, coping ability, metabolism, and immune function. And if beauty is your motivation, there’s incentive for your skin, too. A study published this year in the highly selective peer-reviewed scientific journal, Nature Cell Biology, confirms a direct link between hiccups in your circadian rhythms (the body’s sleep, wake, and eat pattern) and the skin’s ability to synthesise collagen. “Think of sleep as food and water for your skin,” says New York dermatologist Whitney Bowe, MD. “When you disrupt the circadian rhythms, you’re more susceptible to environmental damage. Chronic sleep deprivation can exacerbate acne and inflammation, and persistently high levels of cortisol will break down collagen.”
The correlation between good skin and sleep is ever-growing and has driven many brands to develop products that work best when you are sleeping or are enhanced by a good night's sleep. It is proven that the cell rejuvenation process takes place when your body is resting, suggesting that your skin's luminosity is better post-rest.
While 25 percent of skin aging can be attributed to genetics, a whopping 75 percent is influenced by epigenetics, or environmental and lifestyle factors like sleep. When beauty company Estée Lauder commissioned a study to examine the relationship between poor sleep quality and accelerated skin aging, the results, published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Dermatology in 2014, prompted the brand to reformulate its iconic Advanced Night Repair Complex, which originally launched in 1982. The most dramatic change to the serum is a new “activator” (a blend of peptides and yeast extract) linked to the discovery of a tiny micro-signalling molecule. “[In studies,] when we decreased the level of this molecule, skin’s natural nightly repair signal also slowed down,” says Estée Lauder’s Nadine Pernodet, PhD, vice president of Skin Biology and BioActives Global Research and Development. The new activator is designed to send more of those skin-rejuvenating signals.
However, before you go to sleep isn't the time to pile on lots of products and hope for the best - simplicity is key. Our skin cells have a limited amount of energy and like us, they can’t do too many things at once. Using too many products and skincare ingredients will confuse your skin and cause it to become irritated and clogged. It’s much better to ask the skin to do one job at a time and do it well.
Skin is simply more receptive in the wee small hours, when the rebuilding process kicks into high gear.
A study conducted at the University of Manchester also concluded that given the time we spent sleeping and the proximity of the pillow to our mouth and nose, pillows can be a primary source of fungal contamination born from our sweat and expiration; and this has important implications, especially if we have respiratory diseases, eczema or sensitive skin.
And if you do have sensitive skin you may want to invest in silk pillowcases; I know that sounds like the sort of nonsensical rarefied behaviour that would even make the contestants on Love Island raise an eyebrow.
See, cotton is absorbent. It draws hydration away from your skin – which is great for cooling you down if you're a hot and sweaty sleeper; but it is one of the key things that you may want to avoid when it comes to preventing wrinkles and fine lines. Silk, on the other hand, leaves all of that hydration put. Plus, a study published in the British Association of Dermatology showed that pillowcases made using the smooth natural fabric proved less irritating than traditional cotton in people with eczema.
During the day when it's light, our skin’s main job is to keep hydrated and protected. At night when it’s dark and we’re sleeping, the skin is genetically programmed to switch into recovery mode; proving that beauty sleep is far more than a marketing ploy.