Have you ever wondered what does the term ‘beauty sleep’ actually stand for?
Or what are the other positive impacts of a good night’s sleep on your appearance and overall health?
Today, we’ll stress some of the most important ways a good night’s sleep impacts your wellbeing and the negative consequences of insufficient sleep, especially as it pertains to your vitality in the ever-lasting fight against time.
Sleep nourishes your skin
Have you ever paid attention to how your skin looks after insufficient sleep? Is it dehydrated, uneven and without that youthful glow? During a good night’s sleep, skin is supposed to recover from all the negative effects it has been exposed to during the day (hot water, chemicals, free radicals…).
Lack of sleep will
- lower your complexion’s pH (potential hydrogen) levels (so your skin won’t be able to produce the moisture it needs)
- reduce melatonin production (a hormone that makes it easier for us to sleep)
- decrease collagen stimulation (and collagen is an important ingredient in the elasticity and structure of the skin)
- produce more cortisol (a hormone that breaks down the collagen)
All these negative impacts could result in a dry, dull-looking complexion. You may even expect for the acne and some redness to appear.
The first steps
Before we even get into all the different ways your sleep habits affect your wellbeing, let’s take a step and define “good sleep”, just in case you’re thinking, “I’m getting my 7-8 hours; this is not relevant for me.”
The pursuit for healthy sleep habits goes way beyond then just getting enough sleep. It is about carefully crafted plan based on your body’s needs.
When we say “needs” we’re referring to the balance between the phases of sleep (REM and non-REM). If you are getting the hours but still feel tired, this might be where the problem is.
What to do about it:
- Keep a sleep diary – record how long you slept and how you feel the following day. A simple gadget like a sleep tracker can be of immense help here.
- Re-think your bedroom – is that old worn out mattress that you love so much really comfortable enough? If you even paused for a second before answering the question, it probably isn’t. A good mattress is probably the single best investment you can make towards your health. If the money is tight, think about adding a mattress topper or pad. These have evolved significantly over the last decade and can make all the difference (you can read more about choosing the best mattress topper or pad in this guide on TheSleepStudies.com).
Sleep nourishes your brain and body
During sleep, dead blood and brain cells are removed and replaced with the new ones. Your brain also gets rid of about 60 percent more toxins during the sleep.
A serene slumber has a positive effect on your hair
Sleep deprivation slows down your blood flow (which makes it harder for your hair to grow) and makes you feel more stressed (which may lead to a hair loss). Blood flow is important for your hair since it brings nutrients, minerals and vitamins.
Lack of sleep develops dark circles
This is especially important if you tend to stay up all night. The blood vessels under your eyes will dilate and blue or purple shadow under your eyes will appear.
A good night’s sleep reduces puffiness
If you don’t sleep enough, the excess fluid is retained in your body. Among others, in the area under your eyes. Another reason for this to happen is an irregular sleeping position. To avoid getting your eyes swollen in the morning, you should sleep on your back, not on your stomach, and with your head slightly propped up with a pillow.
Insufficient sleep leads to a greater risk of colds and flu
A quality sleep will help your organism to stay strong and to fight bacteria and infections more efficiently.
A good night’s sleep will help you in the weight loss fight
You would never guess, but sleep is also very important for maintaining optimal weight and good metabolism. When we don’t sleep enough we have an incredible desire for carbs and empty calories, which isn’t the case when we’re well-rested.
Enough sleep makes you feel more positive
When we haven’t slept well, we are often grouchy and nervous, which isn’t the case when we are well-rested.
And last but not least – sleep makes you happy
Not only that how well and how long you slept during the night will affect how you’ll feel in the morning when you wake up, but it will also have an impact on your entire day. It’s proven that sleep affects our sensitivity to negative emotions.
Takeaways
We hope that these reasons have stressed just how important a good night’s sleep is for your body. Although 8 hours are generally sufficient, you may need more or less sleep. To discover how much sleep you need, follow your body’s needs for several nights.
As we mentioned, if you don’t feel wide awake all day along, try going to bed 15 minutes earlier the next day, until you find the exact amount of sleep your body needs.