Get Your Glow On By Getting A Good Night’s Sleep

All the reports and scientific studies and articles on the need for getting a good night’s sleep might sound like just so much ‘yada yada’ … after all, not everybody is focused on getting a promotion, remembering what they’ve learned in class or living a long and healthy life. For those who are focused on the truly important things in life, in other words, how they look, it turns out that there are a good many reasons to work at getting a good night’s sleep. Studies have shown that not only does getting between seven and nine hours per night have an impact on how much you feel like eating during the course of the day, it also makes a big difference in whether or not you’re going to wake up to a view of a big breakout in the mirror, or skin that looks dull and lifeless. According to Witch Skincare’s recent survey, only 15 percent of American women are getting eight hours of sleep per night. What’s most remarkable about that figure is the fact that four out of five people responding to their survey indicate that getting a solid night’s sleep makes a difference in how their skin looks. And those study respondents are right. Missing out on sleep will absolutely make you look older and make you more likely to have pimples. According to skin expert Katie McCaffrey of Temple Spa, “If you get enough sleep at night, oxygenation happens where blood rises to the surface of the skin, being fed with nutrients and oxygen. If you’re not getting that overnight, skin will appear duller in the morning and premature aging is more likely to occur as the oxygenating process isn’t having the full effect, leaving skin looking unhealthy and lackluster.” In terms of breakouts, almost half of us attribute them to not getting enough sleep, and that may be accurate because when we’re sleeping, we’re also detoxing our skin. Without getting seven or eight hours of sleep, Katie says, “There will be a build-up of congestion and bacteria.” So what is the answer to skin that is being damaged by not getting enough sleep? Boost your nightly rest. That gives your body the opportunity to do its restoration work. Even more important than making sure that you’re getting the quantity of sleep that you need is working to make sure that the sleep you’re getting is of high quality. That means staying away from alcohol and other things that rob your body of the deep sleep state that accomplishes the most in terms of restoration. You can help this along by eliminating the use of electronic devices for an hour or two before bed and turning your thermostat down to about 65 degrees. Slathering on some high quality night cream will help the process even more.