Skin Tip 1 - Sleep It Off

Over the next week, we are going to be releasing a blog post every day listing our top seven tips for healthy skin.  Tonight's post is all about sleep.

We have all heard that sleep is good for our skin, but sometimes you have that exam you just must cram for, or it’s your girls 30^th and you know you’re going to be out till 3 am, or perhaps you’ve got a big presentation, and the stress is preventing you from sleeping. Whatever the cause, you tell yourself that you can always make it up later.  First off this is VERY unlikely to happen there's always another event or three just around the corner.  This is why nearly a third of all Americans are getting less sleep than they should.  In general, we miss out on about a nights worth of rest per week.  Worse still, sleeping more, later on, doesn’t undo the effects of too little sleep now – the damage to your system has already been done.  Binging and purging on sleep is far less efficient than just trying to manage your schedule to maintain a full 8 hours consistently.  We all know the effects this can have on our mood and mental efficiency but there are repercussions for our looks as well.

The lack of sleep can lead to real damage in many different areas of your life. Dark circles and bags under your eyes can develop quickly; your hair will thin because of the excess stress hormones released.  Chronic lack of sleep can also lead to weight gain as metabolic rates drop and you notice an increase in hunger (one of life's worst double whammies).  Additionally, your skin will start to wrinkle and droop as your collagen levels plummet and finally if you are prone to acne, the excess stress on your body will increase the likelihood of a breakout.  We know you can’t get the full 8 hours every day of your life but the closer you can get to that approximate goal, the better for your skin and your health in general.  So do yourself a little favor, skip the late night cappuccino and try to get under the covers before the single digits.  Trust us - your skin will thank you!