Sleep is an essential part of our lives. In our lifetime, we spend one-third of our time sleeping, and while sleep is often regarded as a time to regenerate and recharge for the next day's activity, it also has a part to play in the role of keeping our skin in its tip-top condition.

The lack of sleep often results in poor coordination, concentration and an increase in health issues. Not only does lack of sleep take away the jest in your life, but it also takes away the beauty from your skin. Think unsightly eye bags, dry skin and all that ashy dullness over your skin. Who knew sleep deprivation could cause such a disastrous effect on your skin?

What Happens if I Don't Get Enough Sleep?

The first impact you will experience will be uneven patchiness over your skin. When you are awake, your stress hormones increase, which triggers an inflammatory response that breaks down the proteins in the skin. This results in the blood not being able to flow efficiently, resulting in a lack of oxygen in the blood. This lack of oxygen causes the skin to appear blotchy, dull and ashy.

Dark circles are also a common symptom of sleep deprivation. The lack of sleep makes your blood vessels dilate, leading to dark circles. In some cases, it can also lead to puffy eyes due to poor water balance.

The most aggravating effect that you can have on your skin for not getting enough sleep is skin ageing. When you miss out on a night's sleep, your body misses out an opportunity to recover from environmental stressors, causing your skin to accelerate the ageing process, thus producing fine lines, wrinkles and pigmentation more easily.

Beauty Sleep Exists

The term "Beauty Sleep" is not a make-believe word coined by sleepyheads. Beauty Sleep is 100% real and, believe it or not, the easiest way to youthful and radiant skin.

When you are asleep, that is the best time for your skin to heal itself, expel toxins and restore balance. During the first 3 hours of sleep, your body will start producing growth hormones. This hormone is necessary for the maintenance of youthful and radiant skin, on the contrary, the lack of this growth hormone will result in the skin not being able to repair itself from the daily damage.

The middle 2 hours of your sleep is when melatonin is increased. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates for sleep/wake patterns but also acts as an antioxidant that protects your skin from free radicals. This is responsible for giving you a blemish-free and even skin tone.

Lastly, at the final 3 hours of sleep, the levels of cortisol decrease. This stage is when your muscles relax, giving skin the ability to recover fully into the night.

Tips for a Good Night's Rest

1. Eat a lighter meal in the evening and refrain from snacking before bedtime.

2. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and decrease water intake at night to reduce bloatedness in the next morning.

3. Sleep under a warm blanket in a cool room. If you are using air-conditioners, put a humidifier in the room to prevent moisture loss from your skin.

4. Use breathable cotton sheets that are washed with unscented laundry detergents.