THE BENEFITS OF A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP

To have a “restful sleep” becomes very meaningful when it comes to the beauty of our skin. After a sleepless night, or just too few hours of sleep, our skin gets dull, we look tired and not healthy anymore. And this is entirely normal, because our skin has not had enough time to repair and regenerate properly.

Often neglected, sleeping habits play an essential role in the appearance and health of our skin. Let’s review all their benefits now!

The chronobiology of the skin

Our skin follows a day-night schedule, like our whole-body system. It is called “cutaneous chronobiology” or “skin biorhythm”. It means that our skin functions differently along the 24 hours of the day, alternating phases of high and low activity. Daylight intensity being the main trigger to these changes, our skin just follows its work schedule day after day, relying of the alternance of day and night. This mechanism is written in our genes and guides all the activity of our body organs.

In the morning, the skin is in defense mode. It acts like a protective barrier against aggressors like pollution, sun, wind, dust particles or blue light. Cutaneous cells shrink and stick closer together to form a shield.

When the night comes, the skin switches to a clean-up and regeneration mode.

What does our skin do at night?

At night, our skin is “at rest”. But it does not mean that our skin does nothing! It means that our skin is, theoretically, not targeted by aggressors anymore and can use that time to peacefully repair itself.

Skin regeneration happens through a process of cellular division. At night, skin cells multiply themselves up to 3 times more than during the daytime!

To allow this cellular renewal, our skin needs energy brought by our blood. There is indeed an increase in blood microcirculation. Our skin then becomes more permeable and opens its pores, which is the exact opposite mechanism to the daytime shield process we talked about earlier.

The benefits of sleep for the skin

After a good night sleep, our skin has regenerated et created enough collagen and elastin. The cellular renewal and the accelerated microcirculation have resulted in a fresh complexion and a reduction of dark circles when morning comes. The skin is also better oxygenated.

The higher permeability of the skin between midnight and 4am allows skin products to penetrate deeper and give better results.

Before going to sleep, properly cleanse your skin to remove all impurities accumulated during the day and apply your night cream. The chrono-regenerating blue balm Blue Techni Liss Nuit helps our skin keep up with its day-night schedule and use all the benefits of obscurity to regenerate and start strong on the following morning. Formulated with extracts of blue chasteberry, an ancestral plant rich in phyto-endorphin, this night cream helps our skin fight the de-synchronization of our natural biorhythms.

 

Fatigue: what side effects on our skin?
 
The whole night process we just described for our skin only happens because of hormones produced during the same period of time. If you shorten your nights, your skin will exhibit the consequences right away: dull, less even complexion, darker circles around your eyes, looking tired, some sagging, some imperfections… When we don’t sleep enough, our biorhythm gets disrupted and our skin doesn’t regenerate as efficiently.
The protective function of the skin also becomes less effective, cutaneous cells don’t work as optimally and retain less water, leading to dehydration; skin regeneration slows down. Thus, the lack of sleep and the disruption of the skin biorhythms are significant causes of premature aging of the skin
Our tips for a really restful sleep
If a good night sleep is the key for beautiful skin, how can we still miss that train?! Let’s share a couple piece of advice.
 
·       Eat an early & light dinner – eating too much slows down digestion and may delay the time you actually fall asleep.
 
·       Turn off your screens – blue light is so strong that it leads your brain to believe it is still daytime. It also triggers free radicals and skin oxidation.
 
·       Extend your hours of sleep – although each person is different, it is usually recommended to sleep 7 to 9 hours per night to really feel rested
 
·       Limit stress – meditate before bed (even a few minutes), listen to a relaxing podcast, get your things ready for the following day and clear your mind, read a few pages of a good book …. All good ways to feel Zen when you switch off the light
 
·       Lower your room temperature and create a really dark environment. 60-65 *F (16-18*C) is the ideal temperature, and darkness will boost your melatonin production.
 
In conclusion, never feel bad about taking a nap or going to bed early: it is good for your skin!!