If you purchase a product through links in this article, we may receive a portion of the sale.
As I write this, I can feel the effects of prolonged sleep deprivation. Every few months, everything happens to me at once, and despite my best plans, I end up sacrificing days or even weeks of sleep. Whether you have a busy family, professional obligations, or the horrors of Sunday keeping you awake, you know that poor sleep quality can’t be hidden. “You look tired” is such a frustrating statement to hear. While there are times when there’s nothing you can do but slather on concealer (shoutout to a concealer that covers your skin without clumping), the best solution is a solid beauty sleep routine.
From simple fixes like sleeping on your back to tricks like taping off your TikTok, there are lots of little things you can do to improve your sleep. By tailoring your sleep habits to your goals, you can sleep deeper, breathe easier, and wake up with glowing skin.
While overall sleep hygiene is important, I wouldn’t be a beauty editor if I were curious about maximizing the quality of my sleep. beauty Part of beauty sleep. As I embarked on a mission to reset my sleep habits, I spoke with some experts about what we can do to maximize our beauty sleep routines. Yes, get all the benefits.
What your (lack of) sleep really does to your skin
Most importantly, sleep is about repair. When you sleep, your body starts to reset—and one thing about me is: I love a good reset. This precious time for your body has earned the nickname “beauty sleep” because your skin, your body’s largest organ, undergoes transformations during this time. That’s why the cardinal sin of skincare is sleeping in makeup. That’s why a nighttime skincare routine is one of the best things you can do for your skin’s health. So, at the very least, be sure to wash your face and apply an overnight moisturizer!
Your skin absorbs the nourishing products you use at night and produces natural oils. At the very least, you should cleanse your skin and apply moisturizer. Your skin is also busy repairing damage, absorbing nutrients from your blood, and rejuvenating in the morning.
But punches and retinol aren’t the only ways you can transform your skin tone overnight. From bedtime lymphatic drainage to infrared therapy, our experts recommend some possible additions to your sleep routine. Read on to learn how to optimize your beauty sleep so you wake up refreshed. Remember: take what you need and leave what you don’t.
Meet the experts
Dr. Kami Parsa, Beverly Hills oculoplastic surgeon
Gabriel A. Sher: Director of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine Development, ORA
Dr. Claudia Aguire: PhD + Neuroscientist
Is beauty sleep real?
“Lack of sleep can affect every aspect of your appearance, including your skin, eyes and overall facial expression, making you look tired and lethargic,” says Beverly Hills oculoplastic surgeon Dr. Kami Parsa. .
Dr. Parsa explains that if you’re not getting enough sleep, you may notice:
- Dark circles and puffiness. When you don’t get enough sleep, the blood vessels under your eyes dilate, causing dark circles to become more prominent. Additionally, fluid can accumulate under the eyes, causing puffiness and a “tired” appearance.
- pale. Lack of sleep reduces blood flow to the skin, making it look paler and less vibrant.
- fine lines and wrinkles. Chronic sleep deprivation reduces collagen production, causing premature lines and wrinkles to form.
- bloodshot eyes. Lack of sleep can also cause red or bloodshot eyes, which can be caused by irritation, dryness, or inflammation of the blood vessels in the eyes.
- Dull skin. The skin’s natural regeneration and repair process occurs during deep sleep, so sleep deprivation can make skin appear dull and dull.
- expression. Fatigue can lead to droopy eyelids, drooping of the corners of the mouth, and an overall lack of alertness and lively appearance.
- increased pressure. Lack of sleep increases stress levels and releases stress hormones like cortisol. These hormones can negatively affect the health and appearance of your skin.
- Poor skin health. When you’re consistently sleep-deprived, your skin doesn’t have enough time to repair itself and maintain its natural glow.
But it’s not just external effects on the skin. Poor sleep quality can wreak havoc on your overall skin health. This means that even a few nights of good sleep may not be enough to fix the problem. “In addition to dark circles and puffy eyes, which are the first signs of sleep deprivation, sleep deprivation can also reduce skin moisture, skin barrier function, and skin elasticity,” says Dr. Claudia Aguirre.
“Less than seven hours or more than nine hours, waking up in the middle of the night, not dreaming enough in the early morning, all of these can be considered sub-optimal. Therefore, organizing our sleep hygiene is key to optimal health.
Benefits of quality sleep
“Our bodies restore different organs at specific times during the night. In order to provide proper nutrition and recovery, we need to be in a deep sleep state,” said Gabriel A. Sher, director of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine development at ORA.
A good night’s sleep is part of a holistic approach to beauty. This is not only a skin care product, but also a health product. According to Schell, how we sleep affects our skin and overall health. “Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that we need to regulate the inside and outside of the body, including emotions, diet, and sleep, which all affect the body. When our body is imbalanced, we will find that physical and emotional symptoms become worse.
Daily Habits to Improve Sleep
Your beauty sleep is built during the day. What you do can affect how you sleep.
“It’s important to create a healthy, calming bedtime ritual,” Schell says. “We all know the basic concepts: stay off your phone, don’t drink water too late, don’t have stressful conversations before bed.”
Schell recommends daily healthy habits such as:
- Set bedtime: Keeping a consistent sleep schedule and getting up and going to bed at the same time can help your body intuitively know when it’s time to rest.
- try keeping a diary: If you have a lot of ideas, write them down so your brain has time to rest.
- Practice meditation or breathing: These are very effective in calming the mind. I like to add essential oils, like Campo Sleep essential oil, to my meditation or breathing sessions.
- Choose tea instead of wine: After dinner and before going to bed, I also like to drink a cup of ORA’s Calming Chai to help me relax physically and mentally.
- Add extra self-care steps: Pairing this with a warm foot bath infused with calming bath salts works wonders on those nights when you’re feeling overstimulated.
Should you “sleep ugly”?
Beauty sleep has become very popular recently due to the influence of social media. As the saying goes, you have to “go to bed ugly” to wake up looking your best. These include sophisticated nighttime beauty products that work while you sleep. From face sculpting tools to semi-permanent makeup, this practice takes beauty sleep to the next level.
Interested? To try out the “ugly sleeping” trend, you need to develop some interesting habits:
- mouth tape: This science-backed habit is a health secret that will transform your sleep. Oral tape not only improves sleep quality in the short term, it can also reduce inflammation and slim your jawline over time.
- chin strap: Do you want a more sculpted jaw line now? Sleeping with a chin strap is a new hot girl habit that might scare you when you look in the mirror, but it’s worth it. Pro tip: When you take off the chin strap, follow up with cold gua sha to really see the results.
- collagen mask: Boost your collagen stores with overnight collagen mask. These hydrogel masks are a step up from sheet masks and give you “glass skin” results overnight.
- lip gloss: Lip gloss is not only suitable for all day use. Use overnight lip gloss as lip liner for long-lasting lips and a natural look.
- curling iron: Whether you use rollers or socks, overnight heat-free curling can give you a blowout look without the hassle of tedious morning hair care or heat damage.
- silk hat: To protect your hair all night long, wear a silk hat to bed. I’ve been doing this since I was a kid and can’t imagine sleeping without protecting my curls. Bonus points if you use hair oil underneath to strengthen your strands.
- self-tanner: You’ve heard of contouring, but self-tanning contouring is a stroke of genius. By “contouring” your contours with an overnight tanner, you can achieve a sculpted look without a long morning of makeup.
- eyebrow color: Applying an eyebrow tinting solution before bed can help define your brows instead of filling them in.
Seems a bit redundant? perhaps. But if you are looking for a princess diary An overnight style makeover, this is as close as you can get.
Nighttime Routine to Improve Beauty Sleep
While the above viral quick fixes may be pleasing to the eye, or useful to try before a big event, they are quite unsustainable for everyday life. Instead of trying to plan an elaborate nighttime makeover, focus on establishing effective sleep habits that will give you good, consistent results.
What do good sleep habits look like? “To me, this means listening to what your body needs and creating routines to stick to so you always have time for self-care.”
Dr. Aguirre recommends following the following nighttime rituals to optimize your beauty sleep. Try a few at a time and see what sticks!
- Put it down. At night, do more relaxing activities to fill your room with a sleep-inducing atmosphere. Engaging in relaxing daily activities, such as taking a warm bath, spraying your pillow with lavender scent, or reading under warm lighting (not bright white LED lights), can help prepare you for bed.
- keep Calm. Providing optimal room temperature is a key component of healthy sleep hygiene. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that the ideal temperature is between 60 and 67 degrees, with this range taking into account people of different ages.
- Keep it dark. Use dark curtains, shades, or eye masks to create enough darkness to increase natural melatonin production.
- Stay hydrated. Drink some water as your skin loses the most moisture at night. If you want to fall asleep easily, use the Hilma sleep support.
- Get comfortable. Depending on the weather, use natural fabrics in your bed to keep you cool or warm so you don’t wake up unnecessarily.
- sound. Use low-frequency sounds to get a deeper sleep. Sleeping sounds can help you fall asleep.
More ways to optimize your beauty sleep routine
Try a Sleepy Girl mocktail
This is a TikTok trend we can follow. The Sleepy Girl mocktail is a blend of pure tart cherry juice, magnesium powder and digestive soda, just like an OLIPOP. The natural melatonin and L-theanine in cherry juice combine with the digestive power of OLIPOP for a delicious and beautiful treat. Choose a magnesium powder to wake up with glowing skin.
Take sleep supplements
Sleep supplements are not just for getting you to sleep. The most effective options work while you rest, maximizing your beauty sleep with nourishing ingredients that can even help reduce swelling or hydrate while you rest.
Use a humidifier
Humidifiers combine health and beauty benefits. It can relieve nasal congestion, relieve allergies, and stop snoring. It also keeps skin moisturized and prevents excessive dryness while sleeping.
Make a hair mask
Leave the mask on your strands overnight to make the most of your nighttime treatment. Opt for a leave-in conditioner or hair mask for a more intensive treatment. Or try oiling your hair every other night for shinier, thicker hair.
Optimize your nighttime skin care
Apply a thick layer of occlusive cream to hit. Begin your nightly carving ritual. Use a red light mask. Preparing a nighttime skincare routine to get a better night’s sleep will pay dividends while you’re resting.