Do you ever wonder how much good sleep would affect your skin? There are so many articles and even on the news always state one information which is sleep will improve your skin. I decided I’ll just try it out myself to find out if sleep really improves my skin.
So here’s what I find out after I sleep at least 8 hours a day before 11 p.m. for a month.
What Is The Best Time to Beauty Sleep
Good sleep is crucial for your health. Averagely, most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep. As we age, we also reduce our sleep time down to 5-6 hours.
According to Chinese Medicine, you should get ready to bed around 10 o’clock and fall asleep before 11 o’clock at night. The reason is that our liver and gallbladder starts to regulate hormones and detoxify body around that time. The time frame from 11 p.m. – 3 a.m. is the time our body detoxify and it’s important to maintain our health.
If you did not get enough sleep especially from the time 11 p.m. -3 a.m. your body becomes fatigued and it’s harder for you to focus during the day.
You can sleep early but make sure you get quality sleep from 11 p.m. – 3 a.m. as that’s the most important time to allow our inner organs to detoxify.
Weather & Humidity
I’m currently living in Brisbane, Australia. It is currently winter time but temperature ranges from 11°C – 21°C during the day. Sometimes, temperatures can drop below 10°C but it does not frequently happen.
Humidity means the quantity of water vapor that presents in the air. It is one of the factors that will affect our skin is constantly exposed to the air. The humidity in Australia is averagely around 50%, so you’ll have to make sure to drink more water and keep your skin moisturized.
Skin Care Routine & Skin Care Products
To keep the result as accurate as possible, I keep my skincare routine simple and only use minimal and affordable skincare products.
My skincare routine is very easy. First, I clean my face using a gentle and moisturizing face cleanser to clean all the dirt and grime in the morning. Next, I spray the Jurlique Calendula Redness Rescue calming mist to make sure my skin hydrated before I apply the ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5. You only need a few drops of the serum. Then, apply to your face evenly. Lastly, seal all the moisture with Cerave moisturising cream. This cream contains three essential ceramides and hyaluronic acid that provide moisture and restore skin barrier’s function.
Don’t forget to put on your sunscreen every day. Sunscreen protects your skin from UV rays and daily aggressors such as dust and pollutants.
I’ll link all the skincare products that I use below.
Kanebo free plus Gentle Cleansing Cream
Jurlique Calendula Redness Rescue Calming Mist
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
Kanebo ALLIE Extra UV Gel Sunscreen
Find out which Japanese sunscreens for your skin type here.
Best Japanese Sunscreens for Every Skin Types
Result
Before and After
Face
Honestly, I did not expect that sleep would affect someone’s skin that much. I have dry skin, and the common problems are flakiness and feeling tight. Besides, I also have to deal with hormonal acne on my chin area.
Ever since I started sleeping early, I found that my skin isn’t feeling as tight and dry as before. The result started to show roughly I sleep early after 10 days. I often find my skin feeling tight after a hot shower. However, I did not experience the tightness of my skin even after a 15 minutes hot shower.
My hormonal acne definitely improved! In fact, I did not have any breakout at all. I normally would notice the differences in my skin whenever I’m close to having my menstrual cycles. However, my skin just seemed smooth and clear throughout the month.
Body
I did not find any drastic change in my skin on other parts of my body. However, my skin on other parts of my body has always been in good condition. It never experienced flakiness and redness like the skin on my face.
Dark Eye Circles
Our eyes area has the most delicate skin on our body. You will look older and tired than your peers if you have dark eye circles. There are certainly a number of factors will cause dark eye circles but I’m hoping to find out if sleep could help with my dark eye circles. And the result is my dark eye circles definitely improved! I did not apply any eye cream because I really want to find out if sleeping would help me improve my dark eye circles. I’m thrilled that my dark eye circles are lightened. In addition, my eyes also appeared to be less puffy in the morning.
Lips
I did not expect that sleep will improve the condition of my chapped lips. I have very dry lips that are always suffered from flaking, peeling and cracking. To prevent cracking and bleeding, I make sure I constantly apply thick and nourishing lip balm during the day and night. Surprisingly, my lip conditions have never been better on those days when I get enough sleep. My lips appeared to be smooth and soft even on the days that I forgot to put some lip balm on.
Others
Getting enough sleep not only benefit your physical appearances but also make some significant changes in your health. I woke up feeling energetic without having coffee to stay focus. I often find myself in a better mood and more focus on my job. Thus, it improves my work performances. You will feel your body is stronger and healthier.
Tips on How to Get Quality Sleep
There are some tips I could provide after trying to sleep early for a month. So if you want to try this out, these tips might be useful for you!
Put Your Cellphone In a Separate Room
Honestly, putting your cellphone away from you is hard. I’m not going to lie. After all, this little device seems to connect us to everyone in our life from our friends and family to our co-workers.
At first, it might feel a little anxious to put your cellphone in a separate room because you’ll be thinking what if I missed someone’s phone call. But trust me, you have to learn to put away your cellphone before you can relax. Putting your cellphone away allow your mind to relax and reduce exposure of blue light. Blue light disrupts your brain’s natural sleep-wake cycles which will lead to poor quality of sleep.
You will find yourself fall asleep easily and sleep better without keeping your cellphone with you in the bedroom.
Avoid Long Daytime Naps
Short power nap might help you to focus and get through your day effectively. However, if you want to sleep better at night, you should avoid taking a long nap during the day. If you are used to taking naps during the day, keep your naps under 20 minutes. If you take a nap that is more than 30 minutes, it’s very likely you are going to end up feeling refresh and energetic late at night. Set your alarm and keep your nap short and sweet, so you’ll still able to get a full rest at night.
Exercise
Exercise is just as important as quality sleep to keep our body healthy. Exercise even just a light exercise such as walking can improve your sleep quality at night.
Physical activities keep your body active and reduce stress. You will find yourself fall asleep quicker and sleep better at night. Avoid exercise in the late evening as it will refresh your mind and keep you stay sharp and alert later.
In addition, cardio exercises are more likely to help you improves your sleep compared to exercise like weight-lifting. Try to do some light exercise such as cycling and yoga. Yoga is an excellent choice when it comes to relaxing your body and mind.
