Good hours of sleep are delightful and no one disputes that. They are important not only for maintaining our disposition and good mood but also contribute to keeping our health in check, including maintaining the integrity of our skin!
We know that on average an adult should sleep around eight hours a night. But it is a fact that each person's biological clock can vary, leading sleepier adults to need 10 hours of sleep daily to feel well-rested. See how the need varies significantly at each age: a newborn spends more than 2/3 of their day sleeping, reaching up to 20 hours a day! A 12-month-old baby sleeps on average 12 hours a day, including naps during the day. Meanwhile, few elderly people manage to complete 5 hours of sleep. This is a consequence of time acting on our chronicity. But it is worth noting that our good hours of sleep are very important for neuromotor development and growth, as well as the proper functioning of our immune system.
Well, everyone must have noticed that in our current modern society, the busy and stressful lifestyle has contributed to a reduction in those precious hours of sleep. In a way, we can cite several phenomena as a consequence of this sleep deprivation that are triggered during this stressful situation for the body.
A restriction of just four hours of sleep can contribute to increased blood pressure, cortisol, and insulin levels during the night, as well as increased appetite likely caused by a drop in plasma leptin levels and an increase in the hunger hormone, ghrelin. Additionally, reduced sleep has also been associated with increased body mass index and obesity (McEwen et al., 2006). With just this data presented, the importance of that hour of tranquility becomes clear.
As our body does not function in isolation, certainly, it is all affected by this intriguing imbalance. Why then do they say that sleep is good for the skin? The skin is the largest organ of our body, important for protection and maintenance of balance. Just like all organs, when something is unbalanced, its integrity is also affected.
Collagen, which is one of its main components, has the function of maintaining structure and integrity. Thus, its production can also be affected by exogenous and endogenous factors such as enzymes, vitamin C, and the immune system itself. Just as stress affects our immune system, lack of sleep also impacts it; thus, it reacts in our skin, potentially leading to an increase in various dermatoses such as psoriasis and dermatitis, as well as affecting the epithelial barrier, which can increase skin infections (Kahan et al., 2010).
The stress vs. lack of sleep issue still cannot be well disentangled since both factors cannot be isolated. But studies suggest that lack of sleep leads to an increase in glucocorticoids that can affect skin integrity, as well as a dysregulation of the immune system that affects collagen production.
Axelsson and researchers conducted a study where they scientifically introduce the concept of sleep and beauty. They show that people who sleep little appear to be less healthy, less attractive, and more tired compared to situations where they are well-rested. According to the authors, this work is important for us to realize that we present facial messages that are sensitive to sleep and that can, therefore, indicate more precise clinical and diagnostic decisions for a history of disturbed sleep in the future.
So, should we sleep as much as a baby to maintain beautiful and silky skin? It seems worth it to row in that direction, also seeking your tranquility, peace, love, and happiness.
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