Fashionista Shameena tells us about the importance of proper sleep, in the first part of the three-part series on this subject, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths.
Sleep is essential to your overall health. Getting a good night’s sleep is also important if you want to look your best, as people are naturally more attractive when they are well-rested. Making some simple changes to your routine to help improve the quality of your sleep and you can do to get the most beauty benefit from your sleep. You might think you’re off the clock when it comes to your beauty routine while you sleep, but your slumber hours play an important role in how you look.
Why beauty sleep?
An hour before midnight is worth three afterwards. That’s the age-old adage. But does it have any substance?
There are set times when our body clock dictates that various processes take place in hair and skin.
From 8 pm to 11 pm is the time for hydration and stimulation, while 11 pm to 3 am is the time for nutrition and regeneration, and 3 am to 5 am is the time for resting. Of course, very few adults are in bed at 8 pm and, as the hormone that triggers sleep – melatonin – peaks at around 11 pm, this is the time we should naturally get tired.
Seven or eight hours of sleep is ideal for most of us. More than that can mean we wake up looking puffy and feeling sluggish.
Chronic lack of sleep, or poor-quality sleep, has an incredibly negative effect on the way we feel – and on the way we look.
When we are asleep, our cells rebuild and repair themselves (the growth hormone functions only at night). If you don’t sleep, this function is impaired.
If you sleep badly, you are likely to become stressed, and this can cause the capillaries to tighten up, affecting the flow of nutrients to the skin and scalp and causing the skin and hair to look dull.
Here are the six beauty benefits of getting enough rest.
1. Fewer Wrinkles
Skin makes new collagen when you sleep, which prevents sagging. More collagen means skin is plumper and less likely to wrinkle.
Only getting 5 hours a night can lead to twice as many fine lines as sleeping 7 would. It also leaves skin drier, which can make lines more visible
2. A Glowing Complexion
Your body boosts blood flow to the skin while you snooze, which means you wake to a healthy glow. Skimp on sleep and your complexion can look drab, ashen, or lifeless.
Sleep deprivation causes a decrease in blood flow to the skin surrounding your face. Skin becomes dull, and you don’t get those rosy cheeks anymore.
3. Brighter, Less Puffy Eyes
Chances are, you’ve had dark circles or bags under your eyes after a night of too few Zzz’s.
Puffy eyes are one of the first things we see when we don’t sleep. Get enough shut-eye and you’ll have less puffiness under your eyes
Stay well-hydrated and elevate your head with an extra pillow at night, too. That can also help reduce swelling.
Plenty of rest can also minimize dark circles. When blood isn’t flowing well — which happens when you’re low on sleep — it can collect under eyes and become visible, since the skin there is so thin.
Discoloration under eyes can also be caused by genes, age, and increased melanin (the brown pigment in skin that causes it to tan in the sun). If this is the case, sleep deprivation can make your under-eye issue worse.
4. Healthier, Fuller Hair
Hair loss, breakage, damage, and even growth can all be affected by lack of sleep. Hair follicles (where hair growth begins) gain nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from blood flow. Since blood flow decreases when we’re short on shut-eye, hair gets less food, it weakens, and it has difficulty growing.
Lack of Zzz’s can also lead to more stress. Stress causes an increase in the hormone cortisol, which can 
cause you to lose hair.
5. Happier, Healthier Appearance
Being short on sleep can cause the corners of your mouth to droop, making you look sadder than you do after a good night’s rest.
When you’re tired, your facial expressions change in subtle and consistent ways. We tend to furrow and frown more. When people say, you look tired, it can be because of these expressions.
Red, swollen eyes, dark circles, sagging eyelids, and paler skin can also signal to others that you’re exhausted.
People who don’t get enough rest are also seen as less healthy than when they’re rested.
6. Products Work Better
Your skin can focus on repairing itself while you sleep since it isn’t defending itself from sun and free radicals (harmful molecules from the environment). Blood flow is also more consistent, and this helps your skin benefit from the flesh-repairing ingredients in your beauty products.
Skin also loses more water when you sleep than it does during the day. Apply a creamier moisturizer before bed and drink plenty of water during the day to help your complexion stay hydrated overnight.
(To be continued)
©Shameena Abdurahiman
Photos from the Internet
#Sleep #FashionFunda #WhySleepIsImportant #SleepEffect #BeautyOfSleep #DifferentTruths
By
By
By
By