Why Beauty Sleep Matters

The old adage of ‘getting your beauty sleep’ holds true. Other people we interact with can in fact perceive when we’ve fallen short on adequate sleep. Considering that 70-80% of communication is nonverbal, and your facial expressions are a key component to your communication, it is imperative to get good quality of sleep to present your best self in social settings and in the workplace. 

Poor Sleep Reduces our Attractiveness 

Sleep deprivation makes us look older, less healthy and reduces our attractiveness. Many studies have been conducted to find out how sleep deprived individuals are perceived by others, researchers typically present subjects with facial photographs of individuals who haven’t got adequate sleep. For one particular study, the photographs of individuals short on sleep were taken after 31 hours of being awake following a night with 5 hours of sleep. 

Individuals who were short on sleep were perceived as having more:  

• hanging eyelids
• swollen & redder eyes
• darker circles under the eyes
• paler skin
• wrinkles
• droopy corners of the mouth

Likely due to the fact that these individuals had droopy corners of the mouth, they were perceived as sadder compared to when they got adequate sleep. Another study based on similar interventions including the judgment of photographs of sleep deprived individuals found that people short on sleep were seen as less healthy and less attractive. Similarly, a different study found that people judging the photographs declared that they were less likely to socialize with sleep deprived individuals. 

Poor Sleep Increases Wrinkles and Fine Lines 

From these studies it is clear that sleep deprivation causes adverse effects on our appearance, especially when it comes to our beauty. Prolonged sleep deprivation may also impair skin integrity since one of the functions of sleep is to help our body repair and restore. Many studies have demonstrated that sleep restores the function of the immune system and a lack of sleep negatively influences the immune response which may affect collagen production. The process of skin repair happens when we sleep which includes the production of new collagen. When we don’t get adequate sleep, we risk less plump skin and increase the onset of fine lines and wrinkles because our skin is less elastic.

One study even showed that among 60 middle-aged women, those who consistently had poor quality sleep had less elastic skin, more fine lines, uneven pigmentation and overall had a more aged appearance. Participants who got poor quality sleep even perceived themselves as less attractive.  

If you want to present and perform from your best self, sleep matters especially considering that individuals who get an inadequate amount of sleep report higher levels of stress and anxiety. There are many lifestyle factors to getting a good sleep in addition to natural sleep aids to incorporate into your diet. 

In addition, consider switching to a silk pillowcase instead of cotton to keep your mane tame and for it’s other beauty benefits. 

Recommended Products

Get it: LilySilk 100% Mulberry Silk Pillowcase

• This pillowcase has plenty of colourful choices and even has a cotton underside if your sleeping partner isn’t a fan of the silk.  

Get it: Meili & Grace 100% Mulberry Silk Pillowcase

• This pillowcase is highly rated and promoted by Women’s Health.