I’m talking sleep and beauty, not Sleeping Beauty. Although, a babe can dream.
Sleep is free, which makes it the most affordable beauty hack, #letsbefrank. You can get it anywhere, anytime. At dinner with the in-laws, during your 4th attempt at watching Star Wars, even at your desk, babe. I won’t tell.
Most babes haven’t made the connection between sleep and skin. But when you snooze, your skin resets; it heals, restores, and eliminates toxins. So when you’re up all night tossing & turning (alone or with another babe), skin is one of the first things to take a hit.
Beauty sleep keeps your skin moisturised.
When a babe sleeps, a lot happens. She dreams of Hemsworths. She mumbles incoherent sentences (although it always sounds like poetry to me). Sometimes, she even drools. Because of the Hemsworths, probably.
So, what happens to your skin when you sleep? Your body’s hydration rebalances and extra moisture is recovered. So on the flip, not getting enough sleep can decrease your moisture levels and lower your complexion’s pH levels, resulting in dry, tired looking skin, as well as puffiness, redness, uneven tone, and breakouts. Because sleep and skin go hand in hand.
Remember that time Craig from accounting said “you look tired today”? Well #letsbefrank, Craig’s a dick. And he probably doesn’t realise that “tired” look is due to your body missing out on moisture. Blame Netflix releasing an entire season of OITNB in one go.
Beauty sleep keeps your eyes bright & de-puffed.
I like that thing you do with your lids. You know, that pink sparkly thing. But sometimes, shadows can pop up below your lids, too.
When you’re not sleeping (read: texting, scrolling, Instagramming), your blood vessels dilate, which causes those pesky dark circles to appear. Not getting enough sleep also changes the salt balance in your body, making you retain more water. Hello, puffy eyes. And if you sleep on your stomach, I’ve got news for you: liquid can pool in your under-eye troughs (the patch of skin under your eyes) through the night, causing “bags”. And #letsbefrank, the only bags you should wake up to are totes.
How to stop eye-puff & bags:
Let’s get the hardest step out of the way: sleep on your back, babe. If you find you’re ending up on your side or stomach anyway, get an extra (fluffy) pillow to elevate your head. And when life happens, because it always does, keep my Glow Mask in the fridge for a 5 minute boost in the morning to de-puff.
Beauty sleep keeps your collagen levels strong.
Okay babe, I’m about to come at you with a truth bomb. Like 30 unread emails is stress for your mind, missing sleep is stress for your body. Chronic (experienced for a very long time) stress harms the way collagen forms in your skin. Collagen is that thing responsible for the elasticity of your skin. When collagen breaks down, skin gets thinner, which makes wrinkles more prominent.
What sleep deprivation does to you? Beyond making you more reactive than a mood ring, you’re headed for an increased breakdown of collagen, as well as a loss of your body’s hyaluronic acid: teeny tiny molecules that make your skin glow: #skingoals.
And repeat after me: You won’t get strong, glowing skin from a collagen supplement. Some shortcuts are better than others. One of the best benefits of sleep is a boost in skin’s collagen production.
Beauty sleep benefits your existing skin conditions.
What lack of sleep does to you? Allow me to introduce you to inflammation. The less sleep you get, the more likely your body will experience inflammation. An overload of inflammation gets in the way of your body’s immune system working properly. So not only could you get sick more easily, but immune-related conditions can flare-up.
Inflammation can also cause more breakouts and a breakdown in the skin proteins that keep you looking like a glowing mermaid princess. But reading this is the first step to getting to the bottom of the problem: keep swapping inflammation for information. See what I did there?
Get to bed earlier, and if you’re still struggling to sleep, I’ve got something else that can help when skin flare ups happen.
Beauty sleep keeps your hair soft & strong.
Remember when I said not sleeping is putting your body under stress? Yeah, let’s talk about that again. Because when your body is stressed, your hair can literally fall out. Like you weren’t stressed enough.
Getting more beauty sleep will help your luscious locks stay thick, full, and attached to your head. I’m no doctor, but Dr Bowe is: “Sleep is actually needed for proper protein synthesis of your hair and it can impact your hormones, which will also have an impact on your hair’s growth and appearance.”
You heard right, babe. Don’t forget there’s skin on your head too.
Beauty sleep slows down skin’s aging process.
When it comes to babes, I don’t have a type. But when it comes to sleep, I’ll confess: deep sleep is my favourite type. In this stage your precious body experiences a rise in growth hormones. These hormones are responsible for repairing damaged cells. They can’t fix a broken heart though, sorry.
But why is it important for your body to repair cells? Well babe, everyday your cells undergo damage from pollution, UV rays, and group chat drama, #letsbefrank. And every night, these cells get repaired. But if you don’t enter deep sleep, recovery won’t happen. And if recovery isn’t happening every night, the daily breakdowns that your skin experiences will start to build up over time and cause more noticeable signs of ageing.
And since new skin cells grow faster while you sleep, sleep is the closest thing to a time machine.
Hop in, babe.
Don’t forget..
I can tell you to “get more sleep” but sometimes it isn’t as simple as hopping into bed, closing your eyes, and nodding off.
Changing your sleep behaviour takes time, practice, and lifestyle changes. Sometimes you’ll slip up and end up watching four episodes of Real Housewives, #letsbefrank.
But a nighttime relaxation routine is a good place to start. And remember: good things take time.
So, are you ready to sleep with me?
x
