I need my sleep as much as anyone but did you know that getting the right number of hours can help you have healthier skin?
Once you are asleep many bodily functions kick in. DNA repair, cellular detox and cellular production are all in action while we sleep, oblivious to the good work taking place in our bodies.
Annet King, Director of Global Education Dermalogica and the International Dermalogica Institute sums it up nicely. “The body uses sleep time for internal housekeeping”, she says. “This is when we process nutrients, detoxify, renew and recharge, so giving your body ample time to accomplish all this is critical for keeping your skin – not to mention your health – in peak condition.”
During everyday activity your skin has its work cut out fighting off would-be invaders and neutralising the environmental causes of stress. At night, however, it can switch from defence to rapid repair mode while we sleep and as blood flow increases.
If you don’t get enough sleep, on average around seven hours a night, then you are depriving your body of the ability to maximise downtime and this can lead to an acceleration of the skin aging process.
As Annet says, “If your body is chronically deprived of sleep, the effects become physically and visibly noticeable.”
So, for your skin’s sake, make sure you get enough sleep.
Night night!