Between knowing that you eight hours of sleep need and actually doing it, there is a big difference. There are so many reasons why we don’t go to bed on time or sleep well. And while it is so good for you – not only for your state of mind, but also for… your skin!
Skin repair
You can achieve beautiful skin by paying attention to your diet, by using the right skincare products, by regularly visiting the beauty salon and by good sleep hygiene to keep up. “During your sleep, levels of the stress hormone cortisol decrease, which helps the skin to recover from the day,” explains skin specialist Lucy Macdougald for Glamial.
Giving your skin time to recover is important for an even complexion, but it has another advantage. Are you sleeping enough? Then you can also combat premature signs of skin aging. “When we sleep, our body releases the important growth hormone that supports collagen production.” Collagen is a protein that keeps the skin elastic. It can therefore prevent fine lines from developing.
How many hours of sleep?
The general guideline is of course that you need about eight hours of sleep per night. But is that also enough for your skin to recover optimally? To answer that question, you need to know a little more about your sleep cycles. A sleep cycle lasts approximately 90 to 110 minutes and consists of four phases. The first three phases are also called non-REM, followed by REM sleep. During this phase your body processes impressions, thoughts and emotions. REM sleep is also important for skin recovery. During your REM sleep, all your muscles are completely relaxed (except the muscles you need for breathing and those of your eyes). During this process, your stress level decreases and your skin cools down. This makes it possible for collagen production to get started.
You want to go through a sleep cycle several times a night to give your skin optimal time to recover. Preferably about five times. Depending on the duration of your sleep cycle, it is best to sleep between 7.5 hours and 9 hours.
By the way, it is best to go through your night skin care routine an hour before bedtime. Your skincare will then have sufficient time to absorb into your skin.
