Beauty Sleep and skin care: How to let sleep guide your beauty routine
Get That Beauty Sleep Stat
A restful night of sleep should be step one of any good skincare routine. Without the full 8 hours, most metabolic dysfunctions are never corrected. In Ayurveda, maintaining a consistent sleep cycle is one of the most important cornerstones of wellness and good health. A good sleep cycle can fuel your energy levels, calm your mind and repair your body.
How does sleep affect skin?
Think of sleep as an intense repair and recovery mechanism. It is during this time that your body regulates stress levels, blood flow and oxygen supply in your body. This leads to cellular repair and in the case of skin — creates new collagen, reduces cortisol and slows down signs of ageing. Sleep is basically an anti-ageing beauty regimen in itself.
The Ayurveda cycle
Ayurvedic rituals recommend an early to bed, early to rise sleep strategy with optimal results between 10 pm – 6 am. This wellness wisdom is tied to the circadian rhythms of our body. Ideally, an ayurvedic routine dictates that you hit the bed and wake up at the same time every day, so that your body can expect to relax and rejuvenate itself, without the stress of irregular cycles or anticipatory sleep deprivation.
The results of restful sleep
Sleeping right can result in wonderful beauty benefits including fewer wrinkles, even skin tone, reduced dark circles and glowing skin. Well rested skin also absorbs nutrients from skincare products better, and boosts hydration.
Collagen, sleep and skin
Collagen maintains the elasticity of skin and helps it to remain plump and firm, which gives the skin a youthful and young appearance. As we age, our bodies are not able to replenish collagen as fast as needed. Sleep is one of the only and most effective ways to replace collagen in the body, making it a necessary step in any anti-ageing beauty routine.
How to get to sleep
If you struggle with irregular sleep patterns, we recommend meditation as a great tool to get you relaxed for bed. You can use a guided meditation app or practise mindfulness yourself to ease your mind towards sleep. We also recommend shutting down your devices and screens atleast an hour before bedtime.