Do you feel like your skin looks better after some good night sleep? Or maybe you find your body more attractive! The thing is, high-quality sleep, also known as “beauty sleep” can really have impact on your appearance!
According to GALLUP, about 40% of the Americans get less sleep than recommended: they spend 6 hours or less sleeping, which is about two ours less than the optimal sleep hours recommended by health professionals. [1]
If you are from these 40%, maybe this article will motivate you to go to bed early and get the most out of your sleep! We will guide you through the benefits of beauty sleep, and will give you some tips on how to optimize these benefits!
Let’s dive in!
What are the benefits of beauty sleep?
Beauty sleep (we’ll also refer to it as high quality sleep) may affect your health and appearance by stimulating the production of human growth hormone (HGH) and enabling skin replenishment during the night. [2]
Saying that, evidence suggests that HGH may positively affect skin health and condition, resulting in the following skin benefits: [3]
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Natural skin exfoliation support
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Stronger protective skin barrier
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Reduced transepidermal water loss (skin has improved ability to retain water and hydration)
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Improved skin resilience to free radicals damage (e.g., sun radiation, pollution, smoking, cosmetic chemicals, and others)
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Would healing support
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Reduced chance of stretch marks and scarring (due to increased collagen and elastin synthesis in the second skin layer-dermis)
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Reduced risk of premature aging signs formation (wrinkles and fine lines)
Other skin benefits of beauty sleep may include [4]:
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Reduced puffiness
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Firmer skin (no hanging eyelids)
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Reduced under-eye circles
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Reduced chance of droopy mouth angles (often sign of aging)
According to the National Sleep Foundation, good night sleep may also result in the following health effects [5]:
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Weight loss support (evidence suggests that people who get good night’s sleep likely burn 55% more fat than people without sleep hygiene [6])
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Improved mood
Is beauty sleep a real thing?
Very recent evidence suggests that high-quality night sleep and body clock mechanisms may support effective regeneration, formation, and repair of body tissues: bone, skin, tendon, and cartilage. [7] This way, the source suggests that beauty sleep may be a real thing!
This way, we can assume that high-quality sleep may be associated with the term “beauty sleep”, which, until now has been looked at as a myth.
But how does beauty sleep work?
The key to the answer hides in the third stage of sleep (also called Stage 3 Non-REM sleep), which lasts from 20 to 40 minutes. [8]
In this stage, the body releases Human Growth Hormone (HGH): a hormone responsible for proper metabolism, growth support, as well as for tissue repair and formation. [9]
5 tips to get your beauty sleep
Here are 5 things to do to improve the quality of your sleep:
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Go to bed 30 minutes earlier than normal and plan to get at least 8 hours of sleep.
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Turn on your night shift mode or let go of your phone 2 hours before going to bed. A good alternative is reading a book, meditating, or enjoying a cup of tea.
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Stay hydrated thought the day but avoid drinking too much liquids during the evening.
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Avoid eating big meals and foods high in sugar before bed, as such meals may decrease your sleep quality.
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Keep it cool. Set the temperature in your bedroom to 18 degrees Celsius/ 64.5 Fahrenheit. This may help you fall and stay asleep during the whole night.
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