Is beauty sleep real?

You might think “beauty sleep” is a myth, but one look at the dark circles under your eyes after a poor night’s sleep is enough to tell you that how we sleep can have a real effect on how we look.

There’s genuine science behind the maxim that a full night of good-quality sleep will enhance our looks. Over the course of the night, the body performs important repair and regeneration functions. The later phase of sleep is when the majority of this rejuvenation takes place, so when you miss all or part of this phase, there are negative consequences. Also, disrupted sleep induces a stress response in the body, prompting the release of hormones that both interfere with the damage-repairing processes and trigger inflammation, which can affect skin by breaking down the proteins that keep it looking and feeling radiant and smooth.

Poor sleep also causes blood to flow less efficiently around the body. This means that the blood lacks oxygen—which is what makes your complexion pasty, gray, and dull when you wake too early. Poor blood flow can also cause blood to pool in the area under the eyes, and because the skin here is so thin, the blood shows through as dark circles and puffiness. Getting enough sleep regularly is the most potent weapon in the long-term fight against premature skin aging, but to reduce eye bags and puffiness in the short term, try sleeping on your back with your head raised on an extra pillow—this allows gravity to drain the blood away instead of it getting stuck around the eye sockets.

Biological beauty treatment

This timeline shows that the longer you sleep, the more your body’s self-repair system can take effect, especially as most of this vital process takes place in the third phase of sleep.

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DURING SLEEP

Skin damage repaired

During deep sleep, the hypothalamus releases growth hormone, which increases collagen production. Collagen keeps skin plump and prevents wrinkles from forming. A delay in falling asleep reduces growth hormone production.

Antioxidants released

Melatonin levels increase between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. As well as keeping you asleep, melatonin acts as an antioxidant to protect the skin from free radicals—unstable atoms that can attach to skin cells, causing inflammation and damage.

IN THE MORNING

Fully rested

After a full night’s sleep, stress hormones are at their lowest, allowing anti-inflammatory melatonin and growth hormone to renew, repair, and detoxify skin cells.

Insufficient sleep

Too little sleep reduces time spent in deep sleep, impacting growth hormone production. It also causes a spike in stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, both of which interfere with cellular repair.

MIND AND BODY | Is beauty sleep real?