Sleep helps to combat a multitude of issues from gut health to stress and is an important cornerstone of wellness. Prioritising sleep will help your body on every level and allow you to get the most from your skincare regime.

How lack of sleep impacts skin

Ever woken up after a broken night’s sleep to puffy eyes, a dull complexion and slack skin? Beauty sleep is no joke, we really do look tired when we’re struggling with sleep, and that’s because our body perceives loss of sleep as stress. After a bad night our cortisol levels rise and that means skin is less able to repair efficiently and in the morning it shows. By ensuring you get enough shut eye you’ll limit your cortisol levels which is good news for your skin, not to mention your mind and body.

How to get better sleep

According to The Sleep Charity, “the average sleep an adult requires or might expect to sleep is around eight hours a night. However, there is no ‘normal’ length of time, it is whatever is natural for you.” Sticking to a consistent bedtime routine and keeping a regular bedtime and wake time will help your body’s sleep system to stay balanced. Follow our tips below and you’ll drift off for the restorative sleep your skin needs in no time.

Time to power down

Screen time is a big issue in the modern world, our mobile phones, tablets and computers keep us connected, but they can also rob us of precious sleep time. It’s not just the mental stimulation they provide, it’s also the specific blue light that they emit. Blue light inhibits the hormone that helps us to fall asleep – melatonin and makes us think it’s time to wake up! The Sleep Charity recommends avoiding screens for an hour before bedtime and suggests switching off overhead lights and turning on lamps to help ease your body into sleep mode.

Create a calm sanctuary

Make sure your bedroom feels relaxing, it should invite sleep not lead you into worrying about the to-do list, so try to keep it neat and clutter-free. So many of us now work from home and have makeshift offices, but it’s well worth banishing all work paraphernalia from your bedroom, make it a place you love being that is free of stress and busyness. Lavender is naturally calming, so try a pillow mist, diffuser or light a candle to fill your space with chilled out vibes.

Unwind and relax

A racing mind when we get into bed is completely understandable, but it won’t help you to get the restorative sleep you need. Spending some time before bed unwinding will mean you can climb into bed already relaxed and simply drift off. Instead of watching that extra episode Netflix tantalisingly suggests, turn off the tech and reach for a book to help you move into the right frame of mind for sleep. Deep breathing can help too or try the military sleep method, a short sleep meditation designed to help soldiers to fall asleep in difficult conditions. Explained in a 1981 book, the method recently went viral on TikTok with thousands of users reporting great results.

The optimum temperature

It’s tempting to think that an extra warm room will help you to sleep, but according to The Sleep Charity, “our body heat peaks late afternoon and then starts to drop in the evening to prepare your body for sleep, kickstarting melatonin production. An ideal bedroom temperature is around 16-18° C.” Falling asleep can be a challenge when it is too cold (or too hot), so make sure your nightwear keeps you cosy or cool as necessary and invest in natural fibres like cotton or silk as the plastic fibres of polyester and nylon can keep us too hot and lead to unsettled night.

When we don’t sleep well it can have a huge impact on our wellness in general, causing issues in all sorts of areas, we know zzzz’s are crucial for health and happiness, not to mention skin health. For more help navigating sleep issues visit The Sleep Charity and don’t miss our guide to night-time skincare here.