The quote by Lailah Gify Akita reads: “There is renewal in rest.” At Brigit Filmer Spa, Skin & Aesthetics, we have found this to be true in more ways than one.
There are many benefits to having a good night’s sleep, but who knew the effect it has on your skin, hair and nails? It is, quite literally, beauty sleep.
Ideally, an adult should sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night for their body to rest and restore its entire system. Getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night will certainly impact your appearance. Who hasn’t woken up in the morning, looked in the mirror and thought how tired you look? Yet on other days, after a good night’s sleep, the mirror is much kinder and your skin almost glowing. By increasing your sleep time by just 1 hour per night, you’ll see a visible improvement in your skin in just 24 hours. Ergo, repeating this every night, those around you will invariably start to notice the difference.
During the night, as we enter the third and fourth stages of sleep, the body goes into repair mode, releasing a human growth hormone which in turn stimulates the production of collagen, a protein made from amino acids. Collagen is a building block for muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues, but most importantly, for your skin.
Sleep also balances and naturally distributes moisture, not only in your skin but your entire body. And when the cells are adequately hydrated, they produce collagen making your hair strong and shiny and your nails less likely to be brittle or crack. Hydrated cells also mean fewer lines and wrinkles.
So, next time you think of staying up a little longer to binge-watch a favourite Netflix series, consider the benefit of a full night’s sleep and opt to split it up over a few nights.
Olive Green’s quote resonated wonderfully: “No wonder Sleeping Beauty looked so good……… she took long naps, never got old, and didn’t have to do anything but snore to get her Prince Charming!”