Sleep is the body's natural beauty treatment.
That’s according to Swedish researcher John Axelsson, who adds that sleep is “probably more effective than any other treatment you could buy.”
He and his team at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm studied the impact of sleep on a person’s appearance. They found that individuals deprived of sleep appear more tired, less healthy and less attractive compared with those who had a good night’s sleep, as reported by ABC News.
"We cannot really say when the effects start … if it's six hours or five hours, but it probably starts gradually," Axelsson told ABC News. "It's possible that you get these effects through chronic sleep deprivation as well."
A lack of sleep affects our bodies’ ability to repair and rejuvenate cells, including skin cells. Our cortisol levels are lower at night, reducing inflammation, and circulation increases to provide more nutrients and oxygen to the skin while we sleep, Spry magazine explains.
That’s why it’s important to wash your face before bed to remove products applied during the day before they can break down and cause harm to the skin, and why it’s also important to moisturize. The antioxidants found in many night moisturizers give the skin a renewed supply of free-radical fighting nutrients.
The number of adults getting six hours of sleep or less a night is steadily increasing. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
How much “beauty sleep” do you get each night, and what changes have you made to make sleep a priority?
Sleep photo: mrbille1/flickr
