There is quite a bit of attention paid to surgeries, fillers and treatments (both electronic and chemical) as a means to repair and prevent wrinkles and other signs of aging. However, one of the most important methods is right under our noses (and also above them) every night. Regular, good nights’ sleep is probably the best anti-aging treatment available. Anyone with children, homework, nightlife or plain old insomnia can attest to the effects poor sleep has on their complexion—puffy eyes, dark circles, sallow skin, and under-eye lines (this sort cannot be successfully filled the way laugh lines and crow’s feet can be) that result from poor sleep—not to mention the general unpleasant appearance that accompanies a sleep deprived disposition. But chronic lack of sleep has many other insidious long-term aging effects that are not noticeable day-to-day. Likewise, regular healthy rest can have wonderful long-term reparative benefits.
Skimping on sleep will not only cause the aforementioned negative effects on your complexion, it will actually increase your rate of aging. When you sleep, your body is able to reduce its concentration of cortisol, a hormone that is always present in our blood in some amount. Keeping the level of cortisol constantly high, as it is in the chronically sleep-deprived has numerous nasty side effects. Cortisol can increase our stress levels, which can lead to (among other things) increased facial tension which will eventually form deep wrinkles. Not only that, but cortisol is a diuretic, causing the loss of water from our bodies’ tissues. And we know from the science of Dr. Murad’s Cellular Water Principle, that maintaining a healthy amount of water in our cells and connective tissue is the most important component towards overall health and wellness. Not only that, but cortisol lowers our bodies’ immune functions, reducing their ability to fight off infection, inflammation and free-radicals. Sounds pretty bad, I know. And yet it gets worse—cortisol inhibits the body’s ability to produce collagen, meaning the rate at which skin wrinkles and loses its elasticity will increase.
The good news is, regular, healthy sleep will help you avoid these effects—while simultaneously providing some of the best anti-aging benefits money can buy (even if it doesn’t have to). Sleep is when the body undergoes much of its reparative processes. During sleep, when our bodies do not have to focus on the myriad of tasks we ask of them during waking hours, they are able to direct their attention towards restoration. Bodybuilders understand that if they want to bulk up, they need more sleep then most people. This is because they know that while they break down their muscles during the workout, the repair and building actually happens during resting periods—primarily during stage 4 (or delta) sleep cycles. Sleep is when the majority of the day’s accumulated free-radicals are disarmed as the brain releases anti-oxidant hormones such as melatonin, as well as reparative hormones such as Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and restorative neurotransmitters such as GABA. As skin is the human body’s largest organ, it stands to reason that it would receive the lion’s share of these anti-aging benefits. Not only does the body release and utilize these tools at night, but sleep is also when our bodies’ best absorbs the healing nutrients that we put in and on them. My father tells his patients to take their daily calcium before bed because that is when the best absorption occurs. This is also true of all of the other antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and hydrators we consume as supplements or apply as creams and lotions every day.
Deciding whether to invest in that fancy new face-lift? Maybe you should sleep on it first. Next time I will get into a few ways in which you can improve your sleep and optimize the skin benefits it provides.
Skimping on sleep will not only cause the aforementioned negative effects on your complexion, it will actually increase your rate of aging. When you sleep, your body is able to reduce its concentration of cortisol, a hormone that is always present in our blood in some amount. Keeping the level of cortisol constantly high, as it is in the chronically sleep-deprived has numerous nasty side effects. Cortisol can increase our stress levels, which can lead to (among other things) increased facial tension which will eventually form deep wrinkles. Not only that, but cortisol is a diuretic, causing the loss of water from our bodies’ tissues. And we know from the science of Dr. Murad’s Cellular Water Principle, that maintaining a healthy amount of water in our cells and connective tissue is the most important component towards overall health and wellness. Not only that, but cortisol lowers our bodies’ immune functions, reducing their ability to fight off infection, inflammation and free-radicals. Sounds pretty bad, I know. And yet it gets worse—cortisol inhibits the body’s ability to produce collagen, meaning the rate at which skin wrinkles and loses its elasticity will increase.
The good news is, regular, healthy sleep will help you avoid these effects—while simultaneously providing some of the best anti-aging benefits money can buy (even if it doesn’t have to). Sleep is when the body undergoes much of its reparative processes. During sleep, when our bodies do not have to focus on the myriad of tasks we ask of them during waking hours, they are able to direct their attention towards restoration. Bodybuilders understand that if they want to bulk up, they need more sleep then most people. This is because they know that while they break down their muscles during the workout, the repair and building actually happens during resting periods—primarily during stage 4 (or delta) sleep cycles. Sleep is when the majority of the day’s accumulated free-radicals are disarmed as the brain releases anti-oxidant hormones such as melatonin, as well as reparative hormones such as Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and restorative neurotransmitters such as GABA. As skin is the human body’s largest organ, it stands to reason that it would receive the lion’s share of these anti-aging benefits. Not only does the body release and utilize these tools at night, but sleep is also when our bodies’ best absorbs the healing nutrients that we put in and on them. My father tells his patients to take their daily calcium before bed because that is when the best absorption occurs. This is also true of all of the other antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and hydrators we consume as supplements or apply as creams and lotions every day.
Deciding whether to invest in that fancy new face-lift? Maybe you should sleep on it first. Next time I will get into a few ways in which you can improve your sleep and optimize the skin benefits it provides.
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