The importance of sleep to your daily beauty regime

Nothing beats a great night’s sleep when it comes to looking good. Stock your bathroom cupboards with spellbinding serums and name-drop the latest facials all you like, the truth is that sleep is the cornerstone of any worthy beauty regime – just ask the likes of Heidi Klum, and Penelope Cruz who claim they clock up 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night. Or you could follow the example of Jennifer Lopez, who recently declared that sleep is her real beauty weapon. “I try to get eight hours a night. I think what works best is sleep, water and a good cleanser,” she said.

But what can you do if you have trouble sleeping? Between 35 to 40 per cent of people in the UAE are experiencing sleep problems, according to a recent study by the Rashid Hospital, Dubai. We’re shuffling around with puffy eyes, blotchy faces and break-outs because we haven’t had enough sleep.

“A bad night’s sleep can cause skin to start looking dull, eyes to get puffy and bloodshot, and can cause a blemish or two, not to mention the dreaded dark circles,” says Hannah Lisa, a Dubai-based make-up artist, who counts style icon Tala Samman as a regular client. “Having great skin is extremely important for great make-up application,” she says. “Your skin renews and repairs itself when you’re asleep, so getting your eight hours a night is one of the best things you can include in your beauty regime.”

A lack of sleep not only makes you feel lousy; it puts extra stress on the body. And increasing levels of stress hormones mean one thing – wrinkles. And lots of them.

“When you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases an excess of the hormone cortisol, which breaks down skin collagen causing wrinkles and laxity,” explains Dr Lillian Khan, Dermatologist and Pond’s Arabia Brand Expert. “Even a [small] release of the growth hormone causes disturbed skin repair, leading to lacklustre, dull skin.”

Cue a whole list of nasties such as inflammation, dry patches, and blemishes and – most worrying long term – accelerated ageing.

Estée Lauder delved further into sleep and its skin benefits through a recent study at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Ohio, US. The results were staggering – revealing women who suffered disrupted sleep were likely to age twice as quickly as those who slept soundly for eight hours.

The study also revealed those with consistently good sleep patterns had 30 per cent higher moisture-retention levels than restless sleepers and were able to recover faster from environmental impacts on the skin, such as sun damage and pollution.

“This is the first [research] to conclusively demonstrate that inadequate sleep is correlated with reduced skin health and accelerates skin ageing,” says Elma Baron, lead scientist at Estée Lauder. “Sleep deprived women show signs of premature skin ageing and a decrease in the skin’s ability to recover after sun exposure.”

Seven to nine hours of sleep is optimum to wipe out everyday stresses and restore a healthy glow. “During sleep our skin goes into repair mode,” says Dubai-based specialist dermatologist Dr Hala Fadli. “New skin cells will grow and replace the old ones. Not enough sleep causes dark circles to form due to dilatation of the blood vessels.”

This ‘repair mode’ doesn’t just ward off panda eyes though. Sleep also boosts the body’s immune system, helping it to build proteins needed to refresh tissues and repair skin cells, making our skin look plumper and more radiant. But although sleep might be nature’s most powerful beauty treatment, Hollywood stars don’t rely on its benefits without using an army of the right nocturnal beauty products.

To really enhance the skin’s repair and help banish daily stresses give your body a helping hand before bedtime with Lush’s Dream Cream (Dh130). It works wonders against daily damages thanks to its blend of cooling and soothing ingredients, including oat milk, rose water, chamomile and lavender. And it smells sublime, so massage it into your skin before bed to help relax your mind and body.

Ramy Nabil Mustafa, Kiehl’s regional training manager in the UAE agrees. “Not only do the optimal seven to nine hours a night leave you looking luminous but, also, many products are most effective overnight because they penetrate better when you’re at rest. To achieve your ideal skin, apply a face cream right before you go to bed.”

Preaching the benefits of sleeping is all very well, but in a world where over 10 million sleeping pill prescriptions are dished out each year globally getting our optimum eight hours seems easier said than done.

If you have trouble dropping off there are plenty of short-cuts to help you sleep. L’Occitane Aromachologie Pillow Mist (Dh125) is made up of a blend of 100 per cent natural essential oils including, tea tree, geranium and lavender.

Several studies have found lavender as an essential oil is beneficial in a variety of conditions, but especially insomnia, while centuries ago people would stuff pillows with dried lavender to help induce sleep.

Lighting Neom’s Tranquillity Candle (Dh126) will fill your room with a scent made for dreaming thanks to its gorgeous blend of pure English lavender essential oil, sweet basil and jasmine. The travel size is perfect for taking on trips to ensure a good night’s sleep on holiday.

The Body Shop Divine Calm Relaxing Massage Oil (Dh55) is ultra nourishing and hydrating. Made with essential oils of lavender and chamomile, it’s the perfect ‘before bed’ body beautifier.

So how do we kick the twilight tech-habit? A new technique called Beditation – the practice of meditation just before bed time – might just be the answer. The idea of is to concentrate on your breathing, taking deep breaths in and out. When thoughts, worries and anxieties enter your mind, you can allow them in, but without letting them take over.

“It’s not so much about relaxation as such, but about clearing your thoughts and finding focus,” says Shamash Alidina, co-author of the Mindfulness Workbook for Dummies.

“Normally we’re on a rollercoaster on autopilot, rushing from one thing to another, this is about breaking your normal routine.”

Dr Michael Sinclair, clinical director of City Psychology Group and co-author of Mindfulness for Busy People: Turning from Frantic and Frazzled into Calm and Composed believes there’s something in this too. “City types often find it hard to sleep. They have all these pressures and thoughts in their head,” he says.

“It’s not about pushing away any thoughts but bringing the attention away from them and recognising them as just thoughts.”

By bringing your attention towards what can help you get the most from your hours in bed it’s time to take control and claim back the sleep you and your skin so deserve and before long you won’t just be a sleeping beauty fit for a fairy tale, but a waking one too. What a dream.