Ah, sleep. The magical time where we can forget about our problems and just drift away to dreamland.

But, did you know that getting enough sleep can actually make you look better? That’s right, beauty sleep isn’t just a myth! In fact, the physical appearance benefits of sufficient sleep are quite astounding. A good night’s beauty sleep:

Reduces Wrinkles and Boosts Collagen

Improves Overall Complexion

Helps with Dark Circles

Strengthens Hair

Reduces Wrinkles and Boosts Collagen

First up, wrinkles. No one wants them, but unfortunately, they’re a part of life. However, getting enough sleep can actually reduce the appearance of wrinkles. You see, when we sleep, our body goes into repair mode. Without enough sleep, our immune system weakens, which can negatively impact the quality and strength of the collagen in our skin (1). This can lead to wrinkles (2), crow’s feet, and frown lines. So, if you want to keep your skin looking youthful, it’s time to hit the hay!

Improves Overall Complexion

Regular quality sleep can also enhance your complexion. Our body’s circadian rhythm (or our body's natural awareness of what time of day it is) regulates the behavior of our organs, including our skin (3). At night, our skin has its highest levels of blood flow, which helps repair damaged skin (4). In fact, our body’s peak time for repairing skin cells damaged by UV sunlight is in the early morning. Because of this, insufficient sleep and late bedtimes can lead to peeling skin, skin dehydration, some forms of acne, and glossy skin (5). Yikes!

Side Sleep especially helps with this as it can help with lymphatic drainage, releasing harmful toxins and waste from beneath the skin. This helps reduce acne breakouts and boost immune support. (6)

Shameless plug, but Pillow Cube has all the best helpers to give you the best side sleep you can get. See below for specifics.

Helps with Dark Circles

Now, we can’t forget about dark circles under the eyes. While getting enough sleep may not completely eliminate them, it can certainly help. Dark circles can be caused by a variety of factors, such as genetics and thin skin. However, getting enough sleep can reduce the appearance of dark circles and make you look more refreshed.

Strengthens Hair

Last but not least, we have our hair. Poor sleeping habits can place high levels of stress on the body, leading to the release of the stress hormone cortisol (7). This can cause increased sebaceous oil production at the root of every hair, resulting in greasy hair. Additionally, stress caused by a lack of sleep can lead to hair loss (8) and no one wants that!

And there you have it. Clearly, the beauty benefits of getting sufficient sleep are numerous! So, go ahead and treat yourself to some beauty sleep starting tonight. It's a small investment that will help you look and feel so much better!

If you’re a side sleeper, like 74% of the population (9), then Pillow Cube can help you achieve better sleep with several of our revolutionary helpers:

Beauty Sleep Pillow

The Side Cube Pillow

The Side Cube fills the gap between your bed and your head, aligns your spine, and supports your noggin. This helps you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up with far less neck, shoulder, and back pain. Our customers report that they get better sleep, wake up pain free and full of energy.

Beauty Sleep Mattress

The Pillow Cube MATTRESS

Most other mattresses are either too soft and banana in the middle (killing your back) or they’re too hard for a side sleeper's shoulder and you wake up in pain. We design mattresses specifically for the side sleeper's curvy and angles. We make the top third soft for your shoulder and the rest supportive for your hips.

Not a side sleeper? Read more about the benefits of side sleep HERE.

Trusted Sources:

1. Kahan, V., Andersen, M. L., Tomimori, J., & Tufik, S. (2010). Can poor sleep affect skin integrity?. Medical Hypotheses, 75(6), 535–537. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20678867/
2. Jang, S. I., Lee, M., Han, J., Kim, J., Kim, A. R., An, J. S., Park, J. O., Kim, B. J., & Kim, E. (2019, November 6). A study of skin characteristics with long term sleep restriction in Korean women in their 40s. Skin Research and Technology, 26(2), 193–199. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31692145/
3. Matsui, M., Pelle, E., Dong, K., & Pernodet, N. (2016, May 24). Biological rhythms in the skin. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 17(6), 801. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17060801
4. Vinik, A. I., & Erbas, T. (2013). Diabetic autonomic neuropathy. Handbook of Clinical Neurology, 117, 279–294. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24095132/
5. Li, Y., Shi, Y., Wang, M., Liu, T., Yang, S., & Ma, L. (2022, June). Regular late bedtime significantly affects the skin physiological characteristics and skin bacterial microbiome. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, Volume 15, 1051–1063. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35698548/
6. Anonymous. (2021, March 4). The benefits of facial lymphatic drainage. Absolution. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://www.absolution-cosmetics.com/en/blog/gua-sha-tool/benefits-facial-lymphatic-drainage#:~:text=Lymphatic%20drainage%20improves%20the%20circulation,help%20to%20reduce%20acne%20breakouts.
7. Nollet, M., Wisden, W., & Franks, N. P. (2020, April 17). Sleep deprivation and stress: A reciprocal relationship. Interface Focus, 10(3), 20190092. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32382403/
8. Choi, S., Zhang, B., Ma, S., Gonzalez-Celeiro, M., Stein, D., Jin, X., Kim, S. T., Kang, Y. L., Besnard, A., Rezza, A., Grisanti, L., Buenrostro, J. D., Rendl, M., Nahrendorf, M., Sahay, A., & Hsu, Y. C. (2021, March 31). Corticosterone inhibits GAS6 to govern hair follicle stem-cell quiescence. Nature, 592(7854), 428–432. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33790465/
9. Linens, A. (2018, June 30). National sleep survey pulls back the covers on how we doze and dream. PR Newswire: press release distribution, targeting, monitoring and marketing. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-sleep-survey-pulls-back-the-covers-on-how-we-doze-and-dream-184798691.html

Written by Brenna Russell