The secret to the best skin of your life may just surprise you

Here at Drowsy you won’t be surprised to hear we’re (seriously) passionate about sleep. Why wouldn’t we be: it’s free and available tonight!

We've heard it on repeat: getting enough sleep is THE foundation of a healthy body and mind *eye-roll*. What if we said sleep could also transform your skin [1]?! That's right, one of the biggest secrets to better skin is as simple as taking a nap!

You probably already have a passionate and committed relationship with your skincare routine but are you prioritising getting 7 to 9 hours of shut eye every night, minimum [2]? It's the body’s largest organ and adding more (sleep) hours to your existing routine is the fastest way to get that Instagram I-woke-up-like- this glow [3].

Below are the most compelling reasons to prioritise that shut eye when it comes to tip-top skin health. After all, it IS called beauty sleep for a reason...

Lack Of Sleep Can Cause Acne

Stress = acne flare ups. The End...

Only kidding but seriously, not getting enough sleep can be incredibly stressful. Stress is a BIG factor in acne development as the body produces excessive levels of cortisol resulting in inflammation [4]. Now imagine combining the impact of not getting enough sleep with simply having blemish-prone skin. It can lead to a perfect downward spiral.

Your Skin Becomes Imbalanced

During a good night sleep your body works effectively to ‘clean up’ your systems. It removes dead blood cells, regenerates new ones, and gets rid of 60% more toxins for that #GLOWing look when running with a full tank [5]. Without adequate time to complete these vital processes the skin’s pH levels drop and the skin produces less moisture. Think: a dehydrated, dull, ashy complexion and yet more inflammation (read: redness). Not what we want...

TOP TIP: if you find your skin is (super) thirsty for any products you apply, that’s a sure-fire sign you need to up your water levels or incorporate better-quality sleep into your routine (or both!).

You Begin To Look (Really) Tired

It sounds glaringly obvious but skipping out on sleep leads to looking tired (funnily enough!). Consistently burning the candle at both ends is the fastest way to develop purple eye bags, dark circles, and puffiness which can be really hard to shift.

Remember we mentioned dehydration earlier? Paradoxically, what little water the skin has managed to hold onto can accumulate within the soft tissue underneath our eyes. Panda puffy eyes, anyone?!

TOP TIP: for a de-puffing emergency the Tired Eye Repair Vegan Collagen Gel can target tired eye symptoms naturally and effectively.

Your Skin Ages Faster

Bad news. Sleep deprivation also causes your skin to accelerate the aging process. Terrifyingly, a recent study found that poor sleepers demonstrated increased signs of skin aging (think: wrinkles, fine lines, the works) and slower recovery from a variety of environmental stressors. This included disruption of the skin barrier and UV radiation (read: sun damage) [6].

(Hopefully) we don’t need to tell you how much you need to be protecting your skin from damaging UVA and UVB rays! So, to hear that lack of sleep can further exacerbate this issue should have you reaching for the SPF faster than Usain Bolt...

The Bottom-line?

Keeping it short and sweet, healthy sleep clearly promotes healthy skin. Don't know about you but we've booked a ticket to bed-fordshire! Now, where did we put our Drowsy Silk Sleep Mask?!

[1] Source: ‘Why Lack Of Sleep Is Bad For Your Health’, NHS UK, 30/05/2018

[2] Source: ‘National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep Time Duration Recommendations’, National Library Of Medicine, March 2015

[3] Source: ‘The Skin Microbiome’, National Library Of Medicine, Aug 2011

[4] Source: ‘How Sleep Affects the Health and Appearance of Your Skin’, 11/05/2021

[5] Source: ‘Sleep For Success’, Dr. James B. Maas

[6] Source: Clinical Trial Commissioned by Estee Lauder, University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Centre