There never seems to be enough hours in the day to get the amount and quality of sleep necessary to look refreshed at all times. With hectic schedules, mounting responsibilities, and early alarms, getting eight hours of sleep a night may not always be possible. 

However, the importance of a good night’s sleep is one of the main contributors to our health, including our skin health. Once you ditch poor sleep habits, establish a healthy routine, and incorporate a good skincare routine into your life, the results will literally show up on your face! For the sake of your skin health, it’s important that you know what is beauty sleep and its effects, as it will most likely motivate you to start getting enough rest.

A consistently full night of rest changes your appearance for the better. Among the many benefits of sleep for skin, a more radiant complexion, reduction of fine lines, and less inflammation are the most prevalent indicators. It’s a beauty trick that costs nothing, but is invaluable as it can help improve skin tone and suppress under-eye circles from forming.. Take advantage of the benefits that sleep provides, learn how to maximize your sleep quality, and find ways to sleep more so you can wake up looking and feeling your best.

Achieve a More Radiant Complexion

Whenever you skimp on sleep, no matter how much or little, the next morning your skin appears duller, lacks colour, and there may be dark circles under your eyes. Sleeping is a way for your body to rejuvenate itself and get the blood flowing to your face. When you aren’t getting a good night's sleep on a regular basis, the effects of missing out will eventually catch up with you.

What helps: Consistency is key when it comes to sleep patterns and following a circadian rhythm. Sleeping ten hours one night and six hours the next will still have a negative effect on your skin’s appearance. Start following a regular sleep schedule and see how your skin starts to change for the better. Finding a routine is sometimes all it takes to bring the glow back to your complexion. 

Prevent the Skin from Sagging

The skin repairs itself overnight and produces collagen to keep the face looking fuller. This natural process is one of the main benefits of sleep for skin as part of preventative care. Without adequate sleep, your skin may start to sag and the appearance of fine lines will become noticeable due to the lack of plumpness and elasticity.

What helps: Give your face an extra boost of moisture before you go to bed by applying a nourishing night balm or moisturiser all over the face and neck. If the air lacks humidity, it can draw out the skin’s moisture and leave it looking less supple. Use a humidifier to help reduce dry, flaky patches on the face and return the skin to a healthier state.

Reduce Puffy Eyes

Often, a lack of sleep leads to bloodshot or puffy eyes due to poor circulation. When the area retains fluid, it causes your face to appear slightly swollen. In addition to getting enough hours of shut eye, slightly adjust your sleep position and elevate your neck and head on your pillow. This will help any fluids from backing up, a common occurrence if you suffer from allergies, seasonal colds, or acid reflux. 

What helps: Sleep deprivation happens for a number of reasons: stress, illness, insomnia, the list goes on and on. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, meditation can help maximise your quality of sleep to get the amount you need to stay healthy. You’ll see an improvement in how you feel as well as positive changes to your skin.

How to Maximise Your Sleep Quality

Focusing on the importance of sleep may seem like a mission that’s easier said than done, but there are several tips to help set you up for success. 

MAINTAIN A COOLER ROOM

Start by cooling down the temperature in your bedroom. An overheated room makes it less comfortable to sleep, which leads to restlessness. Even if your eyes are closed, it’s not likely that you’re actually receiving a complete eight hours of sleep. Drop the temperature a few degrees or turn on a fan to keep cool air circulating so you are able to more easily fall asleep. 

Your body’s temperature is part of what regulates your circadian rhythm. As your temperature rises, the more awake you feel. As you begin to cool down, you’ll begin to feel drowsier. If you’ve ever kicked off the blankets in the middle of the night, you know all too well how temperatures change while you sleep and how disruptful it can be. It’s a vicious cycle at times. In the case that you are expecting, it is just as important to set the temperature at a cooler degree so you can best train your body on how to sleep when pregnant, considering the hormonal changes that may fluctuate throughout the night.

OPT FOR DARKNESS

Secondly, keep the room as dark as possible. Any hint of light can disrupt your ability to get a great night’s sleep. This includes light from an alarm clock or a smartphone screen. Keep your electronics in another room when possible and set up your bedroom as a place of pure zen. 

A dark, cool room is an ideal sleeping condition and can help you drift off to sleep faster. Another option is to wear a sleep mask to block out early morning sunlight or lit up notifications. Light is a stimulant and inadvertently tells your brain, “hey, it’s time to wake up.”

EXERCISE REGULARLY 

A third tactic for maximising your sleep quality is to exercise more. It works as a natural de-stresser by releasing endorphins, which trigger pain relief and positive feelings. Although it’s not recommended to participate in high-intensity activity right before bed, an evening workout or walk is helpful if you aren’t able to exercise during the day. 

More exercise doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend hours in the gym. When you’re strapped for time, take a quick 15-minute walk twice a day to get the blood flowing. Getting into a daily habit of exercise is good for your heart, sleep routine, and skincare.

STAY HYDRATED

Lastly, drink plenty of water throughout the day. Dehydration often leads to headaches and muscle cramps, making it difficult or uncomfortable to sleep. Aim to drink eight glasses of water per day and start to limit your intake a few hours before bed. Drinking water promotes a healthy lifestyle by flushing out toxins, reducing redness and itchiness, and providing moisture. 

Small changes to your environment and your health can have a significant impact on the quality of sleep you receive, which ultimately leads to a fresher, brighter complexion.

Starting a Nightly Skincare Routine

A nighttime skin routine preps the body for relaxation and works to create smoother skin while you’re sleeping. First, always remove your makeup and clean your face as a minimum. When you have the time, give your face and mind some nourishing pampering. A good night time ritual will take no more than 10 minutes to apply the products and allow them to absorb into the skin fully. 

Start with a splash of Refreshing Face Wash to remove makeup and excess oil from your skin. Then slowly massage soothing Nourish Urself Balm all over to lift away dirt and oil. Follow this with a few spritz’s of Hydrating Rose Mist which contains hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate the skin and jojoba esters to soften the skin’s surface.

If you’re battling with super dry skin, apply Radiance Face Scrub every other evening after cleansing to gently remove dry skin patches. Followed by pressing Restorative Beauty Oil into your face and neck, the soothing blend of Jojoba and Lavender will allow you to get the best beauty sleep, as the scent will calm your busy mind too. Don’t forget your lips too, finish off with a Lip Saviour which will stay on all night long working it’s magic!

There are several factors that cause dull skin: stress, ageing, and harsh weather conditions, to name a few. Regardless, you can still have clean, smooth, rejuvenated skin with the right nighttime skincare routine and plenty of sleep.

Ways to Get More Sleep

Busy lifestyles may not leave room for much good sleep, but there are ways to sleep more. Start by slowly moving back your nighttime routine. Condition your body to get ready for bed earlier even if it’s 15 minutes at a time. If you do this every week, you can start going to bed at least an hour earlier every night by month’s end.

Rethink your alarm clock. If you set your alarm for 6 AM only to hit snooze until 6:30 or 7:00, you’re depriving yourself of quality sleep. Be realistic about when you need to wake up and make it a habit to sit up as soon as possible to get the blood flowing. If you constantly rely on multiple snoozes to get going for the day, it’s likely you’re not getting the proper amount of rest.

Go to bed when you’re tired. Sounds simple, right? Have you ever reached the end of the week and are ready for bed by 8 PM, way before your normal bedtime? Although it’s best to stick to a regular sleep routine, listen to your body and take the extra hours of sleep when you need them. This includes taking a nap when your body is craving one! Fatigue is often a sign of illness in the body and giving yourself the proper amount of time to rest can prevent you from getting sick.

There’s nothing quite like the importance of sleep. It’s something we tend to skimp on as we get older. However, a good night’s rest is a smart health and beauty practice that’s free to use. When you get enough of it, your skin benefits, and you wake up looking and feeling refreshed.