There are many factors that can cause your skin’s overall complexion to become compromised – unnecessary sun exposure, poor diet, lack of exercise, wrong skincare regimen, unhygienic practices, and, yes, lack of sleep.
In your younger years up to about your mid-20s, the negative impacts these factors have on your skin may seem unthinkable, and in some ways, it is, because you really can’t see marks on your face. Guess what? The damage is hidden underneath. As you get older, and your skin’s cell turnover processes begin to slow down, these damages slowly manifest as imperfections, signs of skin aging if you will, on your skin.
Top 5 reasons why lack of sleep causes poor skin quality — big time
Giving your skin an extra drop of your favorite cream may help arrest some of the impending damage your skin suffered from the all-night party you just came from (not to mention the booze that came with it), but only minutely. Sleep deprivation, just like exposing your skin to harmful UV rays, is a major setback for your skin.
Here are the top 5 proven reasons why lack of sleep can cause you to have a lackluster face:
- Lack of sleep drives up stress hormones. You know what happens next. Cortisol level shoots up, skin collagen breaks down, and you see the damage manifest as dry, rubbery skin.
There is enough compelling evidence linking these three, such as how the study, “Brain-Skin Connection: Stress, Inflammation and Skin Aging” published in the Inflammation and Allergy — Drug Targets in June, would put it. The researchers further observed that there is very little study directed at developing therapeutics to treat skin inflammation and help prevent aging.
So, the next time you start thinking that the best moisturizer for dry skin will rescue your skin from damage caused by staying up until the morning after, think again.
- Lack of sleep drives down your immune system. With your immune response low, it is left unable to protect the body, including your skin, from microorganisms just waiting for that exact opportunity to attack and establish a parasitic condition. If you have been diagnosed with chronic, lifelong skin issues such as contact dermatitis, psoriasis, and eczema, you must already know this to be true.
With a poor immune system, you are likely to contract other diseases as well, most notably, cardiovascular diseases. Several studies have already found that people with insomnia most likely suffer from at least one other chronic disease. If you haven’t heard about the connection until now, it’s up to you whether or not to compromise your skin health in exchange for that 15-days of straight overtime pay.
- Lack of sleep causes the skin to age. In a study commissioned by Estée Lauder that involved women with ages ranging from 30 to 49, researchers found out that poor sleepers were more prone to manifesting various signs of skin aging, while those who regularly have sufficient sleep were more likely to resist it.
Just like any other cell in your body, your skin cells take advantage of when you are asleep to repair and rejuvenate your skin. A more detailed explanation of this is in the succeeding section.
- Lack of sleep deprives your body of repair and rejuvenation. The body reaches an equilibrium state when you sleep. Your cells use that opportunity of low energy expenditure and channel it to cellular repair and rejuvenation. That’s why getting enough sleep is critical in keeping your skin, body, and even keeping your mind healthy.
To prove this point, the study, “Does poor sleep quality affect skin aging?” published in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology studied Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and perceptions of skin appearance of 60 healthy women. The study concluded that good sleepers are better able to cope with intrinsic causes of skin aging, have better protective skin barriers, and are more satisfied with the way they look.
Hyaluronic acid and peptides in your cream and new revolutionary anti-aging products like the Rodan + Fields Redefine Skin Care Review can have beneficial effects on your skin. None, however, will come even close to the rejuvenating power of sleep.
- Lack of sleep causes you to gain weight and develop saggy skin. You know how even the best moisturizer for dry skin wouldn’t be able to help your skin from sagging, right? When you gain weight, your skin eventually becomes loose. Chronic lack of sleep triggers your body to compensate for sleep loss by producing more ghrelin, the hunger hormone, that tells your brain that you are hungry.
Conclusion
Your skin can benefit from countless products but, if it is significant, the long-term improvement you want, nothing beats the power of sleep.