How sleep affects your skin

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about beauty?

Take a moment to think about that before you continue reading.
Ready?
I bet you thought about everything, but sleep. Normally, the concept of beauty is more linked to skincare products, treatments like botox or lifts, or other things like getting your nails done. What most people ignore is that poor sleep can affect the way your skin looks and feels.

If your eyes could speak…

In a way, they do. Lack of sleep is usually reflected in those annoying black bags under your eyes. They give you away. When we’re not getting quality rest, blood circulation reduces and disrupts the skin's repair process. Blood vessels under the thin skin around your eyes become more visible, giving a dark appearance and puffiness. Poor sleep also increases stress hormones, which can break down collagen and make the skin thinner, enhancing the effect.

A woman with long dark hair, fair skin, and freckles looks over her shoulder in natural sunlight near a window. She is wearing a white top and has her hair tied back with a blue hair clip.

The story under your skin

Think of your skin and its lines as a map. A map of your life. Every wrinkle represents the things that have worried you over the years or that have made you laugh. So, in a way, wrinkles are a reminder of what you’ve learned and lived. In spite of that, we know that they can affect your self esteem, so the way to make that map stop growing is taking care of your sleep. The decrease in collagen production does not only enhance dark circles as we previously mentioned, it also leads to more visible fine lines and wrinkles.

Glow brighter

The better you sleep, the brighter you shine. Poor rest disrupts skin's natural repair process, leading to dullness and uneven tone. It also triggers chronic inflammation, resulting in redness, irritation, and worsening conditions like eczema or psoriasis. Reduced blood flow during poor sleep means your skin lacks its natural glow and radiance.

The right type of shine

Glanzend is niet altijd wenselijk. Vooral niet als het het resultaat is van een vette huid. Wanneer je niet genoeg rust krijgt, kan dit leiden tot overmatige talgproductie, waardoor je huid vetter wordt en meer vatbaar is voor puistjes; ook gaat de balans verloren en staat die ongewenste glans centraal.

A woman with long dark hair and freckles closes her eyes and gently touches her forehead with her hand. She wears a cream-colored scrunchie on her wrist and a light camisole, appearing relaxed against a neutral background.

Hydration works the night shift

To hydrate doesn’t always mean to drink water. Hyaluronic acid and collagen help the skin retain moisture, keeping it plump and supple. Therefore, when they are not correctly produced over night, our skin doesn’t get the hydration it needs. On top of that, poor sleep can disrupt the skin’s barrier function, leading to increased transepidermal water loss, which causes dehydration. When the skin is dehydrated, it can appear dull, rough.

So… should I throw all my skincare products into the bin and just take care of my sleep?

Nee, natuurlijk niet. Ik bedoel, het is een vrij land, jij doet wat je wilt. Goed slapen is een essentieel onderdeel van een schoonheidsroutine, maar het kan versterkt en verbeterd worden wanneer het gecombineerd wordt met andere behandelingen, zoals het aanbrengen van vochtinbrengende crème.

Do I need better sleep?

Als je huid een van de eerder genoemde tekenen vertoont, dan moet je serieus overwegen om actie te ondernemen om je slaap te verbeteren. Hier zijn enkele dingen die je kunt doen:

Voeg een 100% verduisterend masker toe aan je slaaproutine. Lichten, zelfs kleine, kunnen je nachtrust verstoren.
Overweeg om een natuurlijk slaapsupplement, te nemen, je kunt je arts raadplegen om de juiste te vinden.