Not Getting Enough Sleep? You Need To Read This

Quick question: How much sleep did you get last night? If you answered anything below seven hours, we need to talk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults aged 18 to 60 should clock in seven or more hours of sleep every night. Too little sleep doesn’t just affect how cranky you are the next day — it can also cause your skin to throw a temper tantrum. Skimping on your slumber brings on the breakouts, puffiness, and a whole host of other complexion issues. And, when you’re just trying to survive a busy week, the last thing you need is a skin meltdown.

As much as we wish getting a good night’s rest was the norm, that’s not how life works. With your social life, work deadlines, Instagram feeds, and the stress of the news cycle, it’s hard to clear your mind enough to drift off to dreamland each night. But, not getting a full night’s sleep puts both your health and your skin at risk as it handicaps your natural recovery systems.

While you’re dreaming the night away, your body gets a chance to recuperate, allowing skin and other tissues to repair themselves. When you miss out on even a couple of hours, your body doesn’t have enough time to fix it all, causing a backup of damage. “Poor sleep can lead to increased stress hormones that worsen inflammatory skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, seborrhea, eczema, and psoriasis,” says Dr. Hadley King, a New York City-based dermatologist.

That particular hormone she’s talking about is cortisol and it’s supposed to handle the body’s response to stressors… such as less sleep. “When this happens, your skin is in a pro-inflammatory state,” says Cynthia Rivas, a medical aesthetician at Monica Halem MD in New York City. In plain terms, that means breakouts are especially more frequent the more tired you are.

Breakouts aren’t the only insomnia-caused skin issue you need to worry about. “Increased cortisol breaks down collagen in your skin over time and inhibits the production of new collagen,” Rivas says. “This affects the thickness of your skin, causing lines and ultimately the a loss of elasticity that leads to sagging,” she adds.

Then, of course, there’s the puff. “During sleep the body rebalances its hydration,” Dr. King says, adding, “poor sleep results in poor water balance, leading to puffiness under the eyes.” Less collagen and dehydration can also enhance signs of aging skin. So, now you look both haggard and prematurely aged.

While getting enough sleep is one way to avoid all this drama, that’s not always going to happen. Meaning you need to make the most of the zzz’s you do manage to get. Which is where sleeping masks come in. “Overnight beauty products make a difference in the moisture balance of the skin and in repairing damaged tissues,” Dr. King says. Fortunately for you, the most recent addition to the Glow Recipe family was specifically formulated to revive tired, sleep-deprived, stressed skin. The Avocado Melt Retinol Sleeping Mask is a whipped dream cream with a hydrating and nourishing Avocado quartet — Avocado fruit extract, Avocado flesh, Avocado oil, and Avocado butter — that is rich in omega-fatty acids Oleic and Linoleic. Combined with gentle skin resurfacer PHA and gentle encapsulated retinol, it’s the mask equivalent of a lazy Sunday sleep-in.

If you’ve been pulling a 60-hour work week (or just partying it up nightly with your crew), you might need a little extra a.m. boost. In those cases, use antioxidants like Vitamin C to brighten any lingering dullness and perk up your complexion. Liz K’s First C Serum Pure Vitamin C 13% is like a jump start for your face. Smooth it on and watch your skin transform into a well-rested visage. If your eye areas need to wake up just a little bit more, Dr. King recommends trying an eye cream that has caffeine in it to get rid of puffiness and dark circles. The Whamisa Organic Flowers Eye Essence gives a tiny boost to the skin with natural Green Tea extract and soothes sleepy eyes with the power of Aloe.

Need help getting to sleep tonight? Set an alarm for your bedtime as a reminder to hit the sheets. Stop using your phone about a half-hour before bed and unwind with a cup of reishi mushroom tea. Make sure your bedroom is a cool 60 to 67 degrees (no more waking up in a pool of sweat) and try setting a sleep sound app to lull you to bed with the tune of beach waves or chirping crickets. By making a few tweaks to your nighttime routine and adding in some sleep-enhancing skin potions, you can make sure both your mind and your skin are well-rested and ready to take on the day.