In 2019, it is estimated that skin care related industries will have sales of over 130 billion dollars. This amount shows the importance that people all over the world attach to the health, freshness and beauty of their skin. But besides all the money and time that people spend on taking care of their skin, sometimes there are simple secrets that can have tremendous effects on the health and freshness of the skin, especially the skin of the face. One of these simple and practical secrets is the effects of sleep on the health and appearance of human skin, which we discuss in this article.
The effects of bad and insufficient sleep on facial skin: low sleep and poor sleeping conditions can cause the following effects on facial skin: drooping eyelids, swelling of the eyes, creation or exacerbation of dark circles around the eyes, pallor of the face, increased Skin wrinkles, intensification of the lines and furrows on the face and deepening of the furrow between the nose and corner of the lips. A scientific study in 2017 showed that sleep restriction for only two days had a noticeable negative effect on the beauty and freshness of the facial skin of volunteers.
Reasons for the importance of sleep on skin health: It is necessary to mention that sleep time is the time for restoring strength and regeneration for the whole body, and this issue is not limited to the skin. The skin and its different layers are also subject to this general rule. In the dark of the night and free from harmful factors such as ultraviolet rays from the sun or different monitors, the skin gets a chance to regenerate itself. As the activity of some organs such as the digestive system and muscles decreases, the need for blood circulation in these organs and organs also decreases. Therefore, the blood can reach parts such as the skin in a better way. Increasing blood supply to the skin causes the body’s defense system to destroy harmful substances such as free radicals that are created during the day due to ultraviolet radiation and prevent their destructive effects. On the other hand, facial movements during sleep reach their minimum compared to waking hours. This means that collagen and elastin layers (which play the role of skin scaffolding and their destruction causes sagging skin and wrinkles) are less involved in stretching and contraction movements. Reducing the movement of these layers along with increasing blood flow allows the collagen and elastin tissue of the skin to repair the damage caused during the day and rebuild itself, so to speak.
What you need to do:
Sleep between seven and nine hours. The best medicine for the freshness and health of your facial skin is enough sleep. If you always sleep less and are not satisfied with the appearance of your skin, use this recipe for only one to two weeks. You will see its effect clearly. Some people even make up for their lack of sleep on weekends and see their skin change and look fresher. Lack of sleep causes the skin to age faster and prevent its repair and regeneration. On the other hand, adequate sleep reduces swelling of the eyes, drooping eyelids and dark circles around the eyes, makes the color of the face brighter and fresher, and reduces the amount of wrinkles and the depth of skin furrows.
Wash your face before going to bed. Clean your face from cosmetics, fat and other impurities with a mild cleanser so that the skin pores are opened and oxygen, which is needed for breathing and cellular repair, reaches the skin.
If your skin is dry or dry after washing, use a gentle (and not necessarily expensive) moisturizer before bed.
Sleep on your back as much as possible. Sleeping on the face can increase wrinkles. Note that the quality of night sleep is very important. If you can’t sleep on your back and trying to sleep on your back hurts the quality of your sleep, you don’t have to. Use a pillow with a soft cover that causes the least damage to the skin and does not sink your head into it.
Keep your head higher than your body. In addition to reducing the risk of gastric reflux and the possibility of snoring, this work reduces the swelling of the eyes and the formation of dark circles around the eyes after waking up, because the blood is better drained from the surface veins of the face towards the heart and the possibility of blood accumulation in The cavity around the eyes is reduced.
