Why it's called 'Beauty Sleep' and why we need more of it...

An hour before mid-night is worth 3 afterwards - or so the age old saying goes but why is that? Does it really matter THAT much? Well here's few eye openers from a handful of the top dermatologists that are sure to make you reconsider the 'early night' that everyone wants to get but there just isn't enough hours in the day.

 

The Body Clock...

Firstly, what I find interesting is there are set time when our body clock dictates that various processes take place in hair and skin. From 8pm to 11pm is the time for hydration and stimulation, while 11pm to 3am is the time for nutrition and regeneration and 3am to 5am is the time for resting, so Geoff Wright, director of The Hair And Beauty Partnership in London says. If Geoff is right which I reckon is a given since he studies chronobiology (the study of the body clock), then there's no wonder my skin is dehydrated.. I am lucky if my make-up is off before 11pm and if Im asleep before 1am!

 

 

Rapidly Aging Skin..

Also what Dr. Lisa Kellett, a Toronto-based dermatologist says is that if your complexion looks dull the chances are you're not spending enough time in bed and unfortunately a side effect of sleep debt is your skin ages more rapidly. Here's why..during the deeper stage of the sleep cycle growth hormone levels are at their peak directing cells to repair damaged tissues, like skin and some of the damage that contributes to premature aging is repaired at this stage.

 

Another crazy fact from Lisa Kellett and the one that really wowed me was when you sleep antioxidant repairs of the skin occurs, which might reduce the risk of developing skin cancer.

 

 

Weight gain...

A recent study showed that people who only slept for 5 1/2 hours ate 25% more calories after dinner than they did when they got 8 hours sleep. When you are sleep deprived, cortisol levels rise. Cortisol can make us feel hunger and can raise insulin levels, increasing fat deposition around the abdomen!

Also, people who are tired crave more fattening foods and carbs because the lack of sleep increases the release of ghrelin, which is a hunger hormone.

 

 

Before now I always heard people saying you need 8 hours sleep, but I never actually questioned why? I knew it was health related but after finding out just what an adverse effect a lack of sleep can have I am shocked and will be setting an alarm to remind me to go to bed as well as to get out of it.

 

Thanks for reading... I'm off to bed to catch up on my beauty sleep, now that I finally know what it is.

 

Ashley

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