What does neglecting sleep do to your skin?

We’re all guilty of neglecting shut-eye from time to time, whether it be because of nights out, working late, inability to sleep etc but as well as making us feel rubbish, lack of sleep can also wreak havoc with our skin. Keep reading to learn how, and remember to treat yourself to an early night, tonight!

We talk a lot about the importance of sleep here at SkinBase and in this blog we’ll be exploring the impact that neglecting sleep can have on your skin. We’re all guilty of neglecting shut-eye from time to time, whether it be because of nights out, working late, inability to sleep etc, but as well as making us feel rubbish, lack of sleep can also wreak havoc with our skin. Keep reading to learn how, and remember to treat yourself to an early night, tonight!

1) Not enough sleep = stressed out skin = breakouts

When it comes to the condition of your skin, the stress hormone cortisol has a big role to play. Here comes the science bit! Cortisol levels naturally decrease while we hit the hay, allowing the skin to protect and regenerate itself. However, miss out on the sacred zzzzzz’s and that cycle becomes disrupted, resulting in… you guessed it – the likelihood of acne breakouts. Sigh!

2) A good night’s sleep can help you to look younger

Back to cortisol for a brief moment – when high, the hormone has a role to play in the breaking down of collagen (which is the essential protein in keeping skin looking fresh and young) and elastic tissue. So, what does this mean? The dreaded premature ageing, that’s what.

Another issue associated with lack of sleep is that your body doesn’t make as much human growth hormone (which stimulates cell production), so skin won’t be as thick in texture. Without time to fix yesterday’s damage and produce new, fresh cells, the ageing process is accelerated and the collagen may prematurely stiffen resulting in fine lines and wrinkles. Oh no!

As well as getting more sleep, try using a product that contains retinol and will help to stimulate healthy collagen production, and also invest in an anti-ageing cream at night so your skin can absorb it while repairing itself.

3) It weakens your defence system

Our skin cells step up the production of protective antioxidants for the next day while we sleep, which is important when we consider that antioxidants can reduce free-radical damage to the skin from UV rays. So if you are guilty of missing some z’s, try adding extra antioxidant protection to your skin-care routine to prevent free-radical damage and also make sure you eat plenty of fruit and veg which also contain them and will give your skin a much needed boost!

4. Your skin will be seriously thirsty after an all-nighter

Too much time away from the bedroom is bound to result in dry and flaky skin which can be tight, itchy and leaves us not feeling our best. Lack of sleep can promote inflammation along with skin-barrier dysfunction, leading to a lack of hydration. So try using a product which both hydrates and plumps to improve the condition of the skin. Also, don’t forget about the amazing benefits of water for hydrating the skin. Aim to drink at least two litres a day and even more in the summer.

image:istock.com/Deagreez