A good night’s rest can do wonders for your skin. If you’re unrested/sleep-deprived, your body triggers a stress response that releases cortisol, the stress hormone. High cortisol levels in turn cause increased inflammation and stress, which can impact your skin. Inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis or acne can become more severe with elevated cortisol levels, leading to increased itching that can disrupt your rest during the night. As you can see, it’s a vicious cycle that feeds off itself, leaving you worse for wear with each turn.
If you’re still unconvinced, below are six results of sleep deprivation and their impacts on your skin and health:
- Makes existing skin conditions worse
Increased inflammatory response as a result of high blood concentration of stress hormones can hamper normal skin healing and regeneration processes. The result is an increase in the severity of existing allergic-contact-induced dermatitis reactions, irritant dermatitis, skin sensitivity, acne and psoriasis. More severe reactions in turn are more costly to treat and can leave you looking and feeling worse.
- Takes away natural beauty
An increase in the number of inflammatory cells circulating in your body can cause increased breakdown of hyaluronic acid and collagen, two substances in your skin that are primarily responsible for making your skin look bouncy, translucent and glowy.
- Worsens immunity-related skin conditions
Increase in the level of inflammation of the body affects your body’s immunity balance. Immune-related skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema can come as a result of the body’s inability to form and retain a balance. Psoriasis for one is a major indicator of inflammation in the body. In fact, research shows that people with psoriasis are at a higher risk for suffering heart attacks, another reason to simply buckle down and get that quality rest.
- Makes you uglier
Lots of regenerative processes take place in your skin while you sleep, including rebalancing of the body’s hydration system. Excess water is processed to be removed, while the skin is fed with moisture to balance it out. Not sleeping enough means that this process is hampered, which is the reason for eye bags and dark circles under the eyes. In addition, wrinkling occurs faster and becomes more visible.
- Increases rate of aging
During deep sleep, the body releases growth hormones whose job is to repair damaged cells. Without a long-enough deep-sleep phase, daily skin cell damage and injury accumulates over time, instead of being reversed as you sleep. The result is more noticeable signs of skin damage and aging, even before you would normally show age.
- Increased weight gain
A good night’s rest is vital to weight control, which is also good for your skin. Being well rested makes you feel less hungry, and less stressed (hence prone to binge eating). Studies have linked excess calorie consumption and snacking with sleep deprivation.
Conclusion
As you can see, getting quality rest is essential to retaining young and healthy skin. You can ensure you sleep well by selecting a high-quality mattress from City Mattress Lancaster NY 14043, which is vital for proper restfulness. Also, drink plenty of water in the daytime and limit intake at night to avoid interrupting your sleep, and eat at least three hours before your sleeping time to ensure digestion is complete and allow the body to focus on regeneration while you sleep.
Author bio:
Steve Bob is a qualified chiropractor with over two decades’ experience in mattress retail at City Mattress Lancaster NY 14043and other places. In his spare time, he likes to travel and spend time with his family as well as share industry insights on various platforms, where he has been published.