We are all fully aware of the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep but many of us don’t understand the importance of that sleep for maintaining our skin and keeping it looking as fresh as we can. When we sleep the body repairs and renews itself, obviously this goes on whilst we are awake as well, but it happens at a far higher rate whilst we rest.
A great deal of research has been done which shows that sleep deprivation reduces the body’s levels of growth hormone and it is these growth hormones that are required for the repair process. The less growth hormone that we have the less able the body is to repair the damage that has been done in the course of day to day living, never mind the extra stress factors that affect our skin such as pollution, smoke, dehydration and so on. The rate of new skin cells that are produced by the body doubles during periods of sleep so the more sleep you get the faster your skin cells will be produced and the better it will look – and you will feel. We lead busier and busier lives and the one thing that tends to suffer is good, regular sleep. We seem to think that we can manage on less and then catch up when we are not so busy, but this is not the case. Your body needs regular, quality sleep to keep you healthy. One of the first things to suffer when you don’t get enough sleep is your skin, it begins to look dull, grey and dry.
However, you also need to think about the effect of all those hours in bed on the surface of your skin as well. We need to renew from within, but we also need to care for the surface skin. Consider the way you sleep. Most people tend to sleep on their side or, if you are like me, face down. When you are sleeping your face gets pushed into the pillow and you can get quite severe crease marks from the extended time that your face is resting on the pillow. When we are younger this is not a problem, however as we mature and there is less elastin in our skin, those crease marks take longer to disappear. If we continue to sleep in that same position night after night those marks can turn into damaged areas of skin which age more quickly. Of course there are things you can do about that, sleep on your back, use soft pillows and pillow slips to reduce the pressure – even simpler is to use a good anti aging skin care product before going to bed to protect and nourish your skin.
