Beauty sleep—however contrived and satirized the phrase has become—is rooted in some serious fact. Even Shakespeare wrote about the impacts of a long night of restful sleep on the complexion, although he probably wasn’t as backed by science as we are now.
Let’s be real: serums, creams, and oils can only do so much for tired, dehydrated, and puffy skin. The real trick to a youthful glow? Catching ZZZs. Below are five science-driven ways to fight wrinkles, dark circles, and even acne while you sleep.
1. Dull, tired skin
That natural glow you get from sleeping a solid eight hours isn’t just from feeling rested. Our bodies not only create collagen while we snooze, but our blood flow increases too. Dozing on a breathable, hypoallergenic surface gives that collagen production an added boost.
2. Puffy eyes
The more you sleep, the more time you give your eyes to recover from all you ask of them during the day (we’re looking at you, screens). If you’re not sleeping enough, your eyes get dry and irritated, leading to puffiness. While serums and eye creams do wonders in terms of preventing deep wrinkles and crow’s feet over time, going to bed hydrated and sleeping enough works the real miracle.
Make sure you’re sleeping aligned but slightly propped up to avoid fluid settling around your eyes. An adjustable pillow will help you find the right balance.
3. Dark circles
Ohhh, the eye bag: a telltale sign that you had a rough night. Even when in bed for eight hours, if you’re tossing and turning or waking up constantly, your eyes will show it. Sleeping on the proper pillow is crucial to sleeping through the night—especially because a lack of alignment directly contributes to tossing and turning, which then contributes to those long, sleepless nights and dreaded dark circles. And if you’re not sure what pillow’s right for your sleep style, well, guess what? There’s a quiz for that!
4. Wrinkles
This goes out to the stomach and side sleepers: sleeping on your back is the best way—other than a great moisturizer and using SPF—to prevent face wrinkles. However, if that just ain’t gonna happen, a silk pillowcase or eye mask can help prevent fine lines and wrinkles; this is because the lack of friction will allow your skin to smoothly slide on the pillow, instead of rubbing up against it!
5. Acne, psoriasis, and eczema flare ups
A lack of sleep causes the body to release cortisol (a.k.a. the stress hormone), which triggers inflammation in the skin. If you go to bed stressed out and uncomfortable, or simply aren’t sleeping enough, you’re going to notice all those skin problems coming out full force.
Also, make sure you’re sleeping on a surface that won’t absorb all your products while you sleep, like a breathable jacquard weave made with bamboo or eucalyptus.
