The Real Meaning Of Beauty Sleep

It’s no coincidence that Sleeping Beauty had flawless, smooth, glowing skin and gorgeous, lush locks. A good night’s sleep is essential to radiant skin and hair.

It all comes down to the fact that skin works to repair itself while you sleep—and a lack of sleep can be detrimental to this restoration activity. With that in mind, think of sleep as the final item in your beauty arsenal to combat unhealthy-looking skin. In fact, it might just be the most important! Here’s what happens to your body during your nightly siesta.

Water Loss

Your body’s temperature drops one to two degrees Fahrenheit while you’re catching ZZZs. For skin, this means more dehydration, which is one of the top reasons behind flakiness and a lackluster complexion. Thirsty skin can also increase the appearance of wrinkles. To combat this, use a moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid—a naturally occurring molecule in the body that can retain up to six liters of water — which is particularly effective in plumping up tired skin and giving you a lovely glow every morning. Find it in Moisture Magnet.

Less Stress

The stress hormone cortisol drops while you’re sleeping, which is excellent news for your skin. The less stress, the less likely you’ll suffer from anxiety-induced acne and dullness. On the flip side, missing out on quality slumber can disrupt this rhythm and make you break out. Keep a zip zapper, like the salicylic acid- and tea tree oil-infused Advanced Blemish Control Serum, handy for nights that trigger those pesky pimples!

Turnover of Cells

During snooze time is when skin cells regenerate most rapidly, sloughing off old skin cells and making way for new ones. A lack of sleep disrupts this important cycle and keeps your body from producing enough human growth hormone, which stimulates cell production. Another way to boost renewal? Use an anti-aging serum that contains ingredients proven to help support cell turnover, such as peptides. Our Vitamin C Peptide Renewal serum is packed with them!

Recovery Road

When we’re awake, our skin works hard to prevent damage from free radicals, which are unstable atoms that damage cells and trigger premature aging. When we’re asleep, antioxidants work to repair this free radical damage. In fact, for this very reason, many skin care products work better at night—when skin cells are not actively attempting to stave off the effects of UV rays. Moreover, blood flow increases while you’re snoozing, which helps skin take the full benefits from any product you have applied.