The impact of sleep deprivation on your skin and overall beauty
Beauty sleep is more than a mere expression. Scientific research has demonstrated the many ways lack of sleep can negatively affect your skin. And by reducing the quality of your skin, sleep deprivation will impact your overall beauty. Here are the many issues your skin and appearance will face if you suffer from chronic lack of sleep.
How sleep deprivation impacts immediately your skin
Signs of fatigue
The most common signs of fatigue on your face are hanging eyelids, or puffy eyelids, dark circles under your eyes and more generally a gray undertone. You can simply tell a person's sleep quality is lacking by looking at her face. But there are many more subtle signs.
Dry or oily skin
As we are all different, some of us will suffer from dry skin, others from oily skin. The first ones will see their skin lose water as it fails to act as a barrier. The second ones will have an oily skin because lack of sleep increases levels of cortisol – a stress hormone – which in turn instructs your skin to produce more sebum. In both cases, you may end up having rosacea or a skin inflammation. Oily skin can also favor the development of acne.
Aging skin
The secret to a young looking skin is called collagen. And the enemy of collagen is called cortisol – the stress hormone mentioned above. As cortisol levels increase due to sleep deprivation, it reduces collagen production. This prevents the nighttime repair of your skin and will make it look less firm, less smooth and less juicy. In other words, it will make you look older.
Long-term effects of sleep deprivation on your skin
During the night, when you sleep correctly, your skin is getting repaired. That's the scientific basis behind “beauty sleep”. But there's more than looks at play. Your skin is an organ, in fact it's the largest organ of your body. As an organ, your skin must perform specific functions, one of which is to form a barrier against outside aggressions.
Every day our skin is being attacked by negative agents. Dust, air pollution, and of course the sun, are all enemies of your skin. Thankfully, skin regenerates quite rapidly and handles all these attacks with ease… if you give it enough rest. Sleep is the most important factor in regenerating your skin. Of course, healthy foods like tomatoes, green tea, omega-3's and whole grains will also play an important part. But it's the same as an athlete eating lots of proteins, yet failing to gain performance due to lack of sleep.
After a while, non-regenerated skin will become more sensitive to sunlight and pollution. It'll become more irritated and skin diseases will appear.
How sleep deprivation affects overall beauty
Beauty is subjective, but it's also a very complex concept. What makes a person appear beautiful and attractive? While good skin plays, of course, a major role in your appearance and the impact it has on other people, you need to keep other factors in check.
Good sleep keeps you slim
The first thing that prevents you from gaining extra weight is your metabolism. Your body is capable of handling excess nutrients (sugars, carbs, fats) and it's also programmed to give you specific signs. Starting with closing down your appetite when you've eaten enough.
Sleep deprivation affects your overall metabolism. Your digestive tract is tired, so is your liver and so is your pancreas… enzymes are no longer produced in optimal quantities and hormones fail to give you the right signals. You may become too hungry and crave sugary foods. You need to improve your sleep quality to reconnect with your body and manage your weight and appearance.
The importance of posture
Posture is a form of expression and even communication. The way you stand, the way you sit, the way you walk… each part of your body contributes to the concept of “posture”. You judge others by their posture and others will judge you by yours. A person's posture tells who is a leader, who is an efficient worker, who is dynamic and positive… and who lacks sleep.
Worse, lack of sleep will affect your posture and modify your self-expression. Lowering your head, curving your shoulders, de-synchronizing your gait… you'll appear a different person. This is definitely a no-no when soliciting for job interviews, looking for a date or simply socializing.
Scientific research has even shown that, in a feedback loop, your posture can in turn influence your personality. By adopting a negative posture, you will end up emphasizing negative personality traits. Healthy sleep will help you regain a better posture and a positive self-image.
Sleepy eyes
We often first notice someone's eyes when we meet them. Having red, tired eyes can leave a poor impression, even if people understand it's from lack of sleep. Their initial reaction might still be unfavorable.
One effective way to improve your sleep quality is by using a silk eye mask. It blocks out all light, helping you fall asleep quicker and potentially enhancing your appearance. Plus, you can use the mask alongside skin treatments to moisturize and refresh your skin. With options like the Dusty Gold sleep mask, Sunset Pink sleep mask, and Blue Belle sleep mask, and many more colors, you can find one that not only helps you sleep better but also suits your style.