What Really Is Beauty Sleep? Does It Have Any Benefits For Your Skin?

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'Beauty sleep' may seem like an old cliché, but there is some truth. Beauty sleep refers to how our skin and body begin to heal themselves after a long day. Sleep may be the closest you can come to a fountain of youth as far as your beauty routine is concerned. During sleep, your body recovers and repairs itself, which has a long list of benefits for your appearance. Therefore, it's important to get adequate sleep -- 7 to 9 hours each night [1].

Sleeping fewer than 6 hours a night is likely to affect your appearance. So how many hours of beauty sleep do you need to see results? According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults should sleep seven to nine hours per night [2]. So in the case of fewer than six hours, you will most likely notice the impact on more than your mood.

Benefits Of Beauty Sleep

You wake up with brighter, de-puffed eyes: You may notice puffy eyes if you don't get enough rest. This is because your cortisol levels rise when you're stressed, which affects your salt balance. This can lead you to retain water - hence, puffiness. For less puffy eyes, you can try using an extra pillow to help drain fluids - that is, keeping two pillows instead of one helps because when you lie flat, fluid can gather around your eyes.

Gives you youthful, glowing skin: When we sleep, our skin is busy healing itself from the damage we might have sustained in the day from UV rays or pollution. In addition, studies show that new skin cells grow faster while you sleep. So, take advantage of this period of skin renewal and restoration by cleansing skin before bed and choosing products that will optimise this recovery period to wake up with healthier skin.

Reduces wrinkles and signs of ageing: Getting into bed on time helps reduce wrinkles and other signs of ageing. To make sure you wake up wrinkle-free, experts suggest you sleep on your back. This is because repeated pressure on the skin, causing creasing, can eventually lead to set-in lines.

Gives you a much healthier and happier appearance: When you are sleep deprived, your mouth corners droop, making you appear sadder than you do after a good night's rest.

You get the best out of your skincare products: Your skin can focus on repairing itself while you sleep due to the lack of sun exposure and free radicals. The consistency of your blood flow also allows your skin to benefit from your beauty products' flesh-repairing ingredients. During the night, your skin loses more water than it does during the day. Use a creamier moisturiser before bed and drink plenty of water during the day to keep your skin hydrated overnight.

Not just your skin but your hair too: Lack of sleep can lead to hair loss, breakage, damage, and even stunted growth. Hair follicles, where hair growth begins, get nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from blood flow. When blood flow decreases due to lack of sleep, hair gets less food, it weakens, and it has trouble growing.

How Many Hours Of Sleep Is Considered A Beauty Sleep?

Sleeping between seven and eight hours per night is ideal, but it's not just the number of hours we get that matters, but the quality of our sleep [3]. All sleep is not equal in its rejuvenating benefits. As REM sleep occurs sometime in the middle of the night, experts suggest going to bed earlier and waking up at the same time every morning rather than snoozing on weekends.