Are you a sleeping beauty?

It may sound like a cliché, but getting your beauty sleep is a real thing.

How much sleep you get, or how little you get, can show up on your face and even affect your skin long-term. Here is how sleep works to give us our best face.

Throughout the night our sleep cycles through REM sleep, which is when we dream, then into deeper stages of sleep.

These deep sleep phases are when our bodies release hormones that help repair the body and the skin.

One of the standout hormones that affects our bodies through sleep is the human growth hormone. This helps repair all sorts of functions through our systems as well as our skin and the collagen that plumps it. Without the deep stages of sleep our skin doesn’t have the chance to use the human growth hormone to thicken the skin and keep its youthful look.

During sleep our blood flow becomes efficient as well. Blood is pumped through the body to bring vitamins, nutrients and oxygen to all of our tissues, skin included. Because the face is a vascular beast, requiring oxygen and blood flow for proper function, the time that you sleep really is like feeding your face the nutrients it needs. This increased blood flow helps stimulate the skin and even helps all of those creams and serums do their job better.

The most obvious sign of too little sleep is, of course, in our eyes. Dark, puffy circles are the first indicator that you haven’t been getting enough rest.

Although dark circles have a genetic factor involved, a lack of sleep will make them appear more severe. Without a good night’s rest, the blood flow that we need to the thinnest areas of skin isn’t happening. Underneath

that thin undereye skin the blood vessels begin to dilate and create a darker appearance. Puffy and red eyes are also an indication that blood flow is being restricted.

Most experts say seven to nine hours is a standard guide for how much sleep the average adult needs, but there are always exceptions of individuals who need a little more or a little less. Even a nap through the day is helpful to add to your sleep log if you can squeeze that in during the day.

We all have a terrible night’s sleep from time to time, so if this is the case, try to catch up as soon as you can. Hydrating moisturizers and eye creams can help restore some life to your skin the next morning.

The age-old trick of cold cucumber slices or cold metal spoons on the eyes are a good temporary fix after a late night as the cold will help relieve some of the puffiness in the eye area. But the only real way to give yourself a fresh face in the morning is with a good night’s sleep.

If you have any questions, comments or ideas, feel free to e mail me or send me a direct message on Instagram @ skindeepsurette.