We all know that a poor night’s sleep can leave us feeling groggy and cranky the next day. Well, the same can be said about our skin.
When we’re not sleeping properly at night, our skin isn’t going to be happy about it, and it will eventually start to show. I’m sure you’re already well-acquainted with some of the signs of a poor night’s rest: dark circles and bags under your eyelids and dry, red eyes.
But these are just some of the visible effects of poor sleep, and the ways that it can affect your skin. On top of dark eye circles and dry eyes, a lack of a proper night’s rest can also cause the stress hormone, cortisol, to be released into the body.
Because of this, those who don’t get enough sleep may frequently notice inflammation and puffiness, especially around the eyes, as well as being prone to other unfavorable flare-ups, such as acne and eczema.
How Much Sleep Do You Need For Healthy Skin?
According to the National Sleep Foundation, it’s recommended that, for adults aged 26 to 64, you should be getting roughly 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Whereas, older adults, aged 65 years and up, need only 7 to 8 hours for a good night’s rest.
So if you’re getting any less than that, you’re prone to developing dark circles under your eyes, wrinkles, fine lines, and not to mention puffy sagging skin.
Proper sleep is an essential component of keeping your skin healthy and looking its best, naturally. It allows your skin to rest and heal itself.
While we’re sleeping, our body pumps blood and other vital fluids to the tissues and organs that need it most, while at the same time, removing any excess fluids that may have built-up in other areas of the body throughout the day.
So when we don’t give your body enough time to rest and heal itself, many complications can occur, including many common skin issues such as acne.
Sleep and Acne
By now, it’s easy to understand that, skimping out on a good night’s rest means there will be a good chance of experiencing some form of aggravating skin issue, on top of all of the other negative effects that go hand-in-hand with a poor night’s sleep, like being tired and cranky.
Acne is yet another very common skin issue that we all experience from time to time.
But, did you know that poor sleep can sometimes cause or exacerbate the symptoms of acne?
As I’ve mentioned, not getting a good night’s sleep causes the stress hormone, cortisol, to be released into the body. And by not resting properly, this hormone can build up, making you prone to breakouts.
But of course, poor sleep is only one factor that can contribute to acne. There are also many other factors that can contribute to breakouts and bad skin.
So what’s the best natural way to prevent acne?
A Good Natural Nighttime Skin Routine
A good nighttime regimen is always helpful to prevent acne and other skin issues from developing while you’re sleeping. Your skin absorbs a ton of pollutants throughout the day.
So even if you don’t wear makeup or apply any other types of skin products, it’s important to make sure that you’re washing your face every night before bed. By removing makeup and washing your face, you’ll be giving your skin a chance to breathe.
Your makeup may look stunning on you during the day, but it can also clog your pores, making it impossible for your skin to breathe and heal itself naturally.
That’s why one of the best, and most natural ways to keep your complexion looking its brightest is to simply wash your face every night before bed, no matter what.
Warm water, combined with a natural cleanser should do the trick. And always make sure to use a soft, clean towel to pat and not rub your skin dry afterward.
After cleansing your skin, apply a good natural moisturizer. For this, ensure that you’re staying away from moisturizer products that contain parabens and other harmful man-made ingredients.
Using soaps and moisturizers that contain natural ingredients will ultimately give your skin the care it needs to glow naturally.
In fact, using natural facial oil as a moisturizer is often the best solution to prevent acne, even if you have a naturally oily complexion. Restorative Facial Oil helps reduce the appearance of acne scars.
Many commercial skin cleansers strip away your skin’s natural oils, which causes your skin to overproduce oils. In turn, this can cause a build-up of sebum and can clog your pores, making you prone to outbreaks.
On the other hand, a good, natural facial oil, made from non-comedogenic base oils (non-clogging), helps to supplement and balance your skin’s natural oils, instead of stripping them away. That’s why it’s important to pick a natural moisturizer that’s right for your skin’s specific needs.
In the end, the products that are best for your skin will vary depending on what type of skin you have, and play an imperative role in repairing it.
It’s also good to look for products that contain antioxidants, such as vitamin C, which is excellent at rejuvenating and repairing damaged skin.
Always apply your nighttime skincare products 10 to 15 minutes before lying down at night. This gives your skin the necessary time to absorb the product, instead of having them rub off on your linens while you sleep.
The Damaging Effects Of Archaic Time Change
Although most of us simply learn to live with Daylight Saving Times, is far more damaging and far-reaching than you’d expect. In fact, the lack of sleep and disruption to your system caused by time change can even lead to dry skin, and other skin problems like acne, eczema and psoriasis.
On top of this, it’s also a well-known fact that drivers are more likely to be involved in an accident the first few days after the time changes. And it’s also known that being tired can lead to a lack of focus and productivity in the work.
So if you’re anything like me, you might even still be feeling the effects of last week’s time change, even though you’ve had a few days to recover.
That’s because Daylight Savings Time disrupts our body’s natural clock, which is also known as your circadian rhythm.
This antiquated tradition was first designed by an entomologist named George Hudson in 1895.
It was he who proposed the modern concept of daylight saving time, which was to be a two-hour time shift, giving him and his team extra time in the evenings to hunt for bugs during the summer.
Over time, the concept has been implemented in a number of regions around the world in order to give people more hours of daylight in the evenings. Back then, these extra hours of sunlight were useful, since not many people had lights or electricity in their homes.
But today, there’s no longer any real need for the time changes.
Lighting and electricity are no longer rare in our homes and it doesn’t actually add any extra time to the length of the days since today. Plus, our modern lives are programmed to follow the hours on our clocks, rather than the hours of sunlight left in the day.
So other than causing a disruption to our systems, changing the hour on our clocks doesn’t really have any real benefit to it. It’s really just a waste of time (especially when the time jumps ahead and we all literally lose out on an hour of sleep).
Fortunately, today, there are many groups around the world that are advocating against daylight savings times and the changing of the clocks.
And in recent years, as a growing number of studies continue to be released highlighting the negative impacts of twice-annual time changes, many time zones around the world have either stopped observing Daylight Time or stopped observing Standard Time -- so that the time stays the same year-round.
Even within our own country, time is handled at a provincial level, with Saskatchewan and Yukon opting to not take part in the time changes, and BC has recently passed legislation as well.
Whereas Ontario and other provinces still observe this old, archaic tradition. If, like me, you want to see changes in your province, find and sign an online petition today!
Learn more about DSL and how you can help reduce its strain on your system.
Finally, since we all might still be feeling the effects from last weekend’s time change, just make sure that you’re getting enough rest this week, and as always make sure to take proper care of yourself, naturally!
