BLOG: How does sleep affect our skin?

By Waiza Rana - You know that term we often hear about ''beauty sleep''? Have you ever wondered more about this? Research shows that sleep is part of taking care of our skin. So what exactly does sleep bring to this organ of the body?

According to Karin Olszewski, registered nurse at Samaritan Health Services – a non-profit organization that brings together community hospitals, medical clinics and health insurance plans – "the beauty value of sleep is that it gives your skin time to rebuild itself". Our skin acts as a protective barrier during the day, whether it's shielding against the sun's ultraviolet light or germs hitting our face throughout the day. the day. Sleeping between seven and nine hours a night helps your skin heal from the effects of the sun's ultraviolet light. What about skin that regenerates faster overnight? Thanks to skin cells, collagen, the protein responsible for the volume and elasticity of our skin, is formed as our skin cells regenerate. The increased blood flow also has a positive impact on our skin during sleep as it provides necessary nutrients that protect our skin from the various exposures of the day.

In a Korean study of skin characteristics with long-term sleep restrictions, skin changes were assessed by limiting sleep to four hours per night for six nights. Korean women in their 40s participated by sleeping eight hours a night for six nights in week 1, followed by four hours a night for six nights in week 2.

WHAT WERE THE POINTS OF FOCUS DURING THIS SKIN ASSESSMENT?

1. Skin hydration

2. Dry skin

3. Recovery Barrier

4. Texture

5. Skin shine

5. Transparency

6. Elasticity

7. Crow's Feet

8. Lion wrinkles

9. Skin color

RESULTS

After only one night in week 2, skin dehydration increased extremely and continued to increase over the following nights. Skin shine, skin dryness, transparency, elasticity and wrinkles also started to suffer from day one. Skin texture was much worse on the fourth day of sleep deprivation. The elasticity suffered the hardest drop of all, causing a pronounced decrease during this test.

Overall, lack of sleep has many damages, both internal and external. The pandemic has certainly not benefited anyone in their sleep schedules either. The good news is that it's never too late to adopt healthier lifestyle habits, including getting enough sleep! One thing that can help is to actively set an alarm when it's time to start your beautiful night's rest. Sleep can be difficult for different reasons. If your cell phone is the distraction, consider having it out of reach once you've laid down. Another tip would be to put your phone on silent during weekend nights. Fortunately, there are a few solutions to improve our health.It turns out that by following the tips, our skincare will also have a positive effect!