Sleep. You probably didn’t think something as innocent as a mild lack of sleep would break you out, did you?

Now I’m not saying that lack of sleep actually causes acne, but it is a contributing factor that affects all the other processes that do cause breakouts

Think about it… how do you feel after you’ve skimped out on sleep? After you stayed up late watching dogs do backflips on youtube and then had to get up at 6 am to go to work or school?

Not very good, did you?

You were probably stressed out. You had bags under your eyes. Your skin sallow and possibly more inflamed. You couldn’t think straight and got irritated easily. All this from scrimping on a bit of shut eye? Is it really that hard to see how it could also affect your acne?

Why do we even sleep anyway? What’s the point of it?

We sleep because this is the time that our bodies use to regenerate. If you don’t sleep, you will die… that’s how crucial it is. You’d be surprised to learn that you will actually die of sleep deprivation before you will die of starvation.

During the day, your body is so busy moving, digesting, and using energy for thinking and processing. At night is the time that your body gets to take a break from all those things and clean up shop. Sleep is like the janitor of your waking life wonderland.

Since it finally has a bit of quiet time away from all those screaming, crying, distracting demands, it jumps on the chance to begin processing wastes, release toxins, and recharge your brain circuitry.

When you’re sick, have you ever noticed how much better you feel after you’ve taken a nap?

So basically, if you aren’t getting good quality sleep every night, this repair stuff can’t go on, and your body ends up with more inflammation, more backed up toxins, more stress, more insulin resistance, and lower immune function, all of which contribute heavily to acne.

Think of the mess that would accumulate in your bedroom or kitchen if you didn’t take the time to clean it regularly (I know mine gets a little messy)! That’s what happens in your body when you don’t sleep.

This is extremely important stuff, so don’t ignore it!

Tips for getting better sleep:

• Your body runs on something called circadian rhythms. It’s not a coincidence that people generally sleep when it’s dark and are awake when it’s light. This is biological, and if you try messing with this too much, it can bite you in the ass. Bright outdoor lighting is what regulates this, so it’s very beneficial to wake up early in the mornings and get outside and take up some rays into your eyes. Being outside as much as possible during the day is also helpful for your health and getting to sleep at night.
• Exercise! Doing a bit of exercise during the day expends energy properly so that you can settle down easily into a light fluffy sleep. Just make sure you don’t do it in the two to three hours before bedtime, or you’ll be too ramped up.
• Make sure you’re done eating a couple hours before sleep. If you eat right before bed, your body will be bogged down with digestion and not be able to do its repair work. Plus the food probably won’t get digested properly, which is bad news bears.
• Settle down before bed. Don’t try to do any high brain power activities. Reading is good if it’s a boring book, but if you’re really into it, you might not be able to stop thinking about it. Try meditating a bit… putting on some meditation tracks can help you get your brain into the right wave length and let you drift off easily.
• Stay organized and stop procrastinating. I think you students know what I’m talking about… If you are able to get your work done during the day, there is no reason you have to be pulling all nighters to get that last 1000 words of your essay written.
• If you want to nap, just do it. It can be a relaxing part of the day if you choose to partake in a short siesta. Even the idea and anticipation of napping can destress you. So if you want to, don’t feel guilty… it can ramp up the rest of the day and make you more productive.

Okay. Now go get some shut eye!

Are you getting enough good, quality sleep? Tell me below!

photo by pedrosimoes7