You’ve probably heard of the term ‘Beauty sleep’ and thought to yourself, what does that actually mean?
Whilst it may sound like a confusing concept, we’re going to break down the idiom into the nitty and gritty and explain exactly what it means when someone says they need to catch up on ‘beauty sleep’.
‘Beauty sleep’ is a term used as a way of expressing a sleep so beneficial, that you wake up with skin like you’ve never seen it before. To be honest, we’re exhausted – and being asleep just isn’t enough anymore. There’s much more to sleep health than being asleep, from the new trend ‘sleepy girl mocktail’ to the type of alarm we use to wake ourselves up, sleep is essential for overall holistic skin health so if there’s one thing that Skin Experts recommend ensuring healthy, radiant skin, it’s sleep…
…and lots of it.
That’s because when we’re asleep, our skin cells regenerate and repair almost twice as much as when we’re awake, meaning our skin cells are set to heal and rebuild themselves from external stressors as we dream. Aggravators such as pollution, sun damage, and stress all have a negative effect on our skin so, maintaining a healthy amount of good quality sleep each night can help contribute towards healing any damage done throughout the day and simultaneously lower our chance of contracting any harmful skin conditions.
What effects your sleep?
On average, healthy adults like you and I need around 7-9 hours of sleep per night for our bodies to feel well rested the next morning, and in a perfect world we’d get just the right amount of sleep but there’s many contributing factors to consider when preparing for a good night sleep.
Light
Exposure to light can delay the rate at which we fall asleep, (especially blue light from our electronic devices). Whether it’s chasing that dopamine fix on TikTok or responding to messages that you missed during the day - blue light triggers the photoreceptors in our eyes which then sends a signal to our brain instructing it to suppress melatonin production, halting the feeling of being sleepy and making it difficult to fall asleep, causing our circadian rhythm to shift.
EMF
EMF, short for Electromagnetic Fields, can also have a big impact our sleep quality. Comfort, our alarms, and the need to feel connected, are all reasons why we sleep with our phones at close proximity, but studies show that the electromagnetic fields radiating from our phones and phone chargers can interfere with sleep. So opting to keep your phone at least three feet away from your bed can see positive changes surrounding your circadian rhythm, thus contributing to better sleep and better skin.
Noise
Loud and high frequency noises can also negatively affect the way in which we sleep because noise causes our brains to stay alert, making it difficult for us to feel sleepy. Loud noises make it difficult for our bodies to maintain our natural sleep-wake cycle and prevents our bodies from entering the deepest stage of sleep which is when we do the most healing and repairing.
With hormone levels changing throughout the month, we can expect to see an impact on the quality of our sleep as we enter different stages of our menstrual cycle, this can also be reflected through our skin as a healthy amount of good quality sleep contributes towards an increased production of collagen and moisture in our skin cells, facilitating a younger and healthier appearance.
What are the different stages of sleep?
When starting to understand more about how sleep affects our skin, it’s important to recognise the different stages of sleep and what they do for our bodies. A full night’s sleep consists of around 4-6 complete cycles, within these cycles there are four main stages of sleep which are: NREM 1, NREM 2, NREM 3 and Rapid Eye Movement.
The first stage is of sleep is NREM 1 which lasts a few minutes and transitions our bodies between being awake and entering sleep, during this stage we see our bodies naturally relax, our heart rate decrease and we slip into a state of contentless.
The second stage of sleep is NREM 2 which lasts around 25 minutes per cycle. During this stage our body temperate drops, our heart rate decreases even further, and we become less aware of our environment, leading us into a deeper sleep than stage one.
The next stage of our sleep cycle is NREM 3 which lasts around 30 minutes per cycle. This is the deepest stage of our sleep and where our skin does the most amount of repairing, making it a crucial moment for our bodies to repair against damage caused during the day from environmental factors such as UV rays, pollution and bacteria build up.
The final stage is Rapid Eye Movement (REM) which can last anywhere between 10 to 60 minutes long per cycle. During this stage, we see a shift in our consciousness as we transition into a more awake-like state, leading to rapid eye movements behind closed eyes. This is where we do most of our dreaming and to prevent us from acting out our dreams our brain releases chemicals responsible for temporarily paralysing our bodies. We also see a focus on healing, particularly concentrating on emotions, memory, and brain function.
So, what are the effects of good quality sleep on our skin?
A healthy amount of good quality sleep can do wonders for our skin such as, promoting better circulation in support of our cardiovascular system which minimises the appearance of dark circles and puffy skin, making us look healthier and more alive, achieving a natural glow.
Our skin tends to look less dull and dehydrated with better quality sleep. As we sleep, we move away from our daytime schedule which focuses on protecting and hydrating the skin and instead, enter the reset and repair schedule during night. Collagen production is much higher during the night, healing our skin barrier and allowing us to look more youthful by halting the appearance of fine lines which contributes towards a more overall sagging, gaunt, and mature look.
A lack of good quality sleep can an increase in certain hormones such as cortisol, also known as our body’s main stress hormone. Elevated levels of cortisol can cause sleep disturbances.
Our cortisol level is highest first thing in the morning, with it naturally starting to rise at around 3am during the night. When our body produces too much cortisol, this can cause us to wake up during the night which can then impact our biological processes and slow them down. This negatively impacts our critical thinking skills and creativity which can make our bodies feel sluggish, slow, and appear bloated. An overload of this hormone is also responsible for negatively affecting people with skin conditions such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis. So, if you already suffer with any of these conditions then poor sleep can be the reason for a nasty flare up, and if you don’t – then the risk of you being diagnosed with any one of them is heightened when you’re sleep deprived.
What effects your sleep?
In a perfect world, we’d get just the right amount of sleep per night but unfortunately there’s many contributing factors to consider when preparing for a good night sleep.
Exposure to light can delay the rate at which we fall asleep, (especially blue light from our electronic devices) making it difficult for our bodies to switch off prior to entering the first stage of sleep, blue light does this by triggering photoreceptors in our eyes which then sends a signal to our brain and instructs it to suppress melatonin production, making it difficult to feel sleepy which can further cause our circadian rhythms to shift. EMF, short for electromagnetic fields, can also impact our sleep quality.
Comfort, our alarms and the need to feel connected, are all reasons why we sleep with our phones next to us on charge, but studies show that EMF radiating from our phone chargers can interfere with a good night sleep, opting to keep it at least three feet away from you can see positive changes surrounding sleep.
Loud, unpredicted, and high frequency noises can also negatively affect the different stages of sleep. They can keep our brains alert and make it difficult for us to fall asleep, whilst they can also affect us when we’re asleep as well. They make it more likely for us enter a lighter stage of sleep during the night, which throws off our sleep cycle and prevents our bodies from entering the deepest stage of sleep, which is when we do the most healing and repairing.
How can I help aid good quality sleep?
Establishing a consistent sleep schedule will encourage your sleep-wake cycle to become more regulated, making it easier for your body to naturally switch off in the evening and prepare your body for sleep so make sure you go to bed and wake up at a similar time every day, including the weekends.
Engaging in relaxing activities such as reading, meditation and having a hot bath can help your mind and body wind down during the evenings. As we mentioned earlier, blue light from our phones, TV’s and computers can halt the production of melatonin, shifts in our circadian rhythms, and disrupt our brains pre-sleep routine. Experts suggest that putting down electronic devices at least 60 minutes before bed can improve sleep quality, with some reports suggesting 90 minutes to 2 hours can optimise sleep quality even more.
On the topic of phones, waking up for work can feel like a struggle especially when you’re feeling a little extra sleepy. Snoozing your alarm can feel comfortable in the moment, allowing you to get an extra few minutes of sleep however, if we think about our sleep cycle, a few extra minutes of sleep doesn’t allow us to benefit from the healing qualities that come with being asleep, it does the complete opposite. Each time your body wakes up, your brain releases cortisol which upsets our system’s sleep wake cycle. Repetitive snoozing can cause us to feel groggy, fatigued and disrupt our start to the day, so much so that this can then cause problems falling asleep later in the evening.
Vico Skin recommends using a soft and gentle sound as an alarm to prevent any harsh sounds from triggering stress responses as you start the day.
Another way to aid better sleep is to block out any unwanted environmental factors such as noise and light. Silk eye masks are very useful at blocking out light and regulating body temperature whilst applying minimal pressure to your skin. Silk is also one of the few materials that absorb little moisture, making it more beneficial for skin hydration during the night.
If you’re worried about hearing unwanted sounds during the night, ear buds are a great way to block this out. Ear buds can help provide a quieter sleep environment whilst simultaneously being designed for comfort, meaning less distractions during the night.
Limiting caffeine and alcohol before bed is also crucial to getting a good night sleep as both act as stimulants which can interfere with our sleep cycle. Alcohol may help create a more relaxed and sleepy setting, but what you gain here, you will have the pay for in exchange for REM sleep. This is because once the alcohol wears off and our hormones dip, this can cause disturbances during sleep, decreasing the amount of REM. Instead, swap these for herbal tea’s such as Camomile Tea, Lemon Balm Tea and Valerian Root Tea.
Vico Skin would recommend sleeping in a cool room, roughly 18 degrees Celsius. This is because when we sleep, our bodies naturally lower in temperature as we enter deeper stages of sleep meaning the cooler the room, the deeper we sleep and the less risk of disturbances during the night.
Sleep Boosting Skincare Essentials
‘Less is more’.
If you struggle with choosing the right products to incorporate into your skincare routine, a little motto we like to abide by is ‘less is more’, especially in the evening hours. Calm and soothing skincare can help aid better sleep. Steer away from harsh, strong-smelling chemical-like scents and opt for products that offer soothing properties such as lavender, rosemary and citrus which are all present in Jasmina’s Screen Star Serum, which is available to purchase here - https://vicoskin.com/products/screen-star
Lavender offers calming properties due to its ability to interact with the brain’s limbic system, particularly the hippocampus and amygdala which are both partially responsible for processing stress. A great way to maximise sleep quality is to use a Lavender pillow spray and spray this on your bedding, this will help the onset of falling asleep!
Whilst good quality sleep helps aid our skin barrier to function better, there is no harm in adding a cream into your night-time routine to support this further. Vico Skin recommends La Roche Posay’s Cicaplast Repairing Baume +B5 which works by using a combination of ingredients and focuses on improving skin moisture by helping the skins to retain moisture and reduces the amount of trans-epidermal water loss.
If you’re struggling with maintaining good quality sleep, we’d recommend considering taking supplements to support with better sleep quality. Supplements like Magnesium Glycinate, Ashwagandha, Glycine and Black Cherry extract have become popular amongst the internet for its beneficial qualities with aiding sleep and promoting relaxation. Before bed you can even take a bath with Epsom bath salts to help prepare your body into a relaxed state.
Invest in Your Sleep
At Vico Skin, we’re not into hopping onto social media skincare trends as we believe in more of a holistic and personal approach, on a person-by-person basis. Through our individual needs when it comes to sleep, Vico Skin offers our recommendations for investing in good quality sleep-aid gadgets.
1. Oura Ring: https://ouraring.com/product/rings/oura-gen3
Vico Skin Recommend using Oura Ring’s, which can help track a range of different health and activity metrics, allowing the user to have more of an insight their sleep health based on data obtained through daily monitoring. This works by tracking sleep, activity, body temperature, heart rate, oxygen levels, and other features like menstrual cycles.
2. Happy Ears: https://www.happyearsearplugs.com/uk/
These Ear Buds, which are shaped like jelly fish (Jasmina Vico’s Spirit Animal), are clinically proven to reduce at least 25 dB of sound, making them an asset to include in your night routine when working towards improving sleep quality. The latest drop ‘Ocean Plastics’, using offers a reduction of 27 dB, making them the highest sound reduction reusable ear plugs which are environmentally sustainable too.
3. LED Light Lamp: https://www.beurer.com/uk/p/61612/
LED Lamps, which Jasmina uses at her Fitzrovia Clinic, Vico Skin. As discussed earlier in this blog, red light therapy works by inducing melatonin production which encourages sleepiness and helps us to stay asleep. Exposing yourself to red LED light an hour or so before bed can help improve sleep quality.
4. Lexxola Red-Eye Silk Sleep Eye Mask: https://lexxola.com/products/red-eye
Max Richter
Recently our Vico Skin founders embarked on an exciting journey of sleep with Max Richter to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his album Sleep. The overnight performance was held in Alexandra Palace, London for over eight and a half hours of pure blissful guided sleep. The album was composed with his creative partner Yulia Mahr and in consultation with Neuroscientist David Eagleman to explore how sound and the sleeping mind interact with one another. Through the use of low-frequency sounds and slow tempos, Sleep helps guide the listener to sleep by calming the nervous system and decreasing your heartrate.
Jasmina described it as one of the most amazing experiences.