Sleeping Beauty gets a bad rap – she’s lazy, unproductive and a bit of a diva, what with laying in bed for 100 years, waiting for a prince's kiss to wake her up.
Whether you joyfully or regretfully share the same tendencies of this princess, it might be surprising to learn that she did have one idea right.
Sleep does help to keep your skin and hair looking healthy and youthful!
How beauty sleep keeps you looking young
Our bodies don’t stop working at night. In fact, it’s while we’re sleeping that our bodies are doing most of their repair work from the stressors of the day. These can include things like environmental pollution, sun exposure, internal emotional stress, physical injuries and more.
When we sleep, our blood flow increases and cells work to repair everything from the deepest tissues inside our organs, to the epidermis, or outermost layer of our skin.
5 Major benefits of getting enough sleep each night
- Fewer wrinkles – Our skin builds collagen while we sleep, which helps to plump up our skin and make it stronger and more flexible. This, in turn, makes our skin less likely to wrinkle.
- Healthier complexion – While we sleep, our blood flow increases, giving us a rosy, dewy complexion each morning with a natural glow – yay!
- Brighter, less puffy eyes – That increased blood flow stops it from pooling, especially beneath our eyes where our skin is very thin and delicate (and can show darkness even more so).
- Stronger, healthier hair – Boosted blood flow means more nutrients are carried throughout our bodies, including to the scalp. That means our hair is supplied with the proper amount of vitamins and minerals to keep it growing healthy and strong.
- Products work more effectively – Since our skin can focus on repairing itself while we sleep and blood flow is consistent, this helps any other products you may be using (such as moisturizers or supplements) work their best too.
–> Buy HAIRLOVE’s Growth Complex and Nourish + Repair Bundle to help rebuild, strengthen and nourish your hair while you sleep!
How much sleep should we get each night?
According to Harvard Health, adults (between the ages of 18 - 64) need somewhere around 7 – 9 hours of sleep each night. If we skimp on sleep, it will interrupt our body's natural repair process, and can have some unfortunate adverse effects down the road.
The adverse effects of sleep deprivation
Not only does a lack of sleep prematurely age our skin and weaken our hair, but it also lowers our immunities, affects our concentration and athletic performance, and it’s even been linked to an increased risk of:
- Obesity
- Depression
- Heart disease and stroke
So don't skimp on that all-important beauty sleep if you can help it!
Tips for maximizing your beauty sleep
The good news is you can make changes today to start catching up on your beauty sleep.
To help you maximize your nighttime routine and get the most out of each beauty rest, see the tips below!
Avoid these within two to three hours of bedtime:
- Blue light – that blue cast from your phone or laptop has been shown to inhibit melatonin, a chemical in our brains responsible for helping us fall asleep.
- Exercise – While exercise is great during the day, all those pumping endorphins can actually keep you up at night.
- Alcohol – As tempting as that glass of red is before bed, try to limit your alcohol as it’s been known to actually affect your sleep cycle through the night, inhibiting your ability to fall into a deep sleep.
Aim for these before bedtime:
- Wash your face – Help your body out by cleaning out external pollutants and dirt from your pores, and get it clean and fresh with a gentle cleanser or try oil cleansing.
- Use an overnight moisturizer – To lock in moisture through the night, and to give your skin even more of a boost, use an overnight moisturizer right for your skin.
- Hydrate – Even if you have to make some trips to the bathroom in the night, it’s better to stay hydrated – for your skin and hair strength and flexibility. Drink an 8Oz cup of water an hour before bed, and then keep another glass on the nightstand while you sleep. Bonus points if you drink that cup through the night! ;)
- Invest in silk bedding, as it's been shown to help enhance your sleep!
Wake your inner sleeping beauty
So to all those sleeping beauties out there, we at HAIRLOVE want to let you know that you’ve had the right idea all along. But you already knew that, didn’t you? ;)
Sleep deep, beauty!
xoxo
Photo by Vladislav Muslakov on Unsplash
