Sleep and Skin Health

There are so many factors that need to be in alignment for us to achieve our healthiest skin and today I am going to take a moment to talk about the skin benefits of a healthy sleep routine. Knowing that this is more “all talk” than practical or realistic for so many people (take it from me, I haven’t had a decent sleep in 5 years!!), I think it’s important to understand the benefits of sleep, and, if at all possible, to try to get the best quality of it whenever you can.
Sleep is our repair mode and when we sleep, our bodies boost blood flow to our skin and begin to rebuild and repair damage, allowing you to wake with a healthy plump glow and less of that dull sickly look that so many of us struggle with. While we sleep, our bodies release an essential hormone known as the human growth hormone (yes, even when we are no longer physically growing). This hormone has a vast responsibility for our health including the ability for your body to produce Collagen which is the protein that gives you glowing skin and strong hair and nails. On the other hand, a lack of sleep increases your cotisol levels (known as the stress hormone). When our bodies begin producing excess cotisol, we begin to loose the ability to retain water which leads to dehydrated skin. Lack of moisture and having dehydrated skin can cause flaking, dark spots and wrinkles. In conclusion, as much as we benefit from gorgeous skin products, it’s important to get between 7-9 hours of consecutive sleep per night if you really want to optimize your skin care routine!