Photo: iStockSource:BodyAndSoul
By now, it’s no secret to any of us that the more sleep you get, the more your skin will love you. But we’ve now got more info on what time exactly we should be hitting the hay in order to reap the rewards of glowing skin.
Over the course of a day, skin will fluctuate in physiology depending on the biological activity of the body and circadian rhythms. At night specifically, skin becomes hotter, more acidic and the flow of the skin’s oil decreases, thus increasing dehydration.
Crucially, night-time is the key period for the skin’s natural repair processes. Specifically, 11pm, according to Emma Hobson, education manager for the International Dermal Institute and Dermalogica.
She informed us that, “the skin repairs and renews itself during the evening and in particular the peak time for rejuvenation is 11pm at night.”
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“Night-time offers us a greater opportunity to nourish, regenerate and hydrate skin and reinforce the protective barrier layer without inhibiting, but rather working with the skin’s natural reparative processes.”
Because of this, it can also be a perfect opportunity to use particular products that aren’t as effective during the day, or perhaps are “too active” to have on in sunlight for those who have sensitive skin.
Hobson said, “Some ingredients such as vitamin A and its derivatives can react with sunlight and make them less effective so using them at night allows maximum efficacy. Using powerful skin-rejuvenating peptides is [also] immensely beneficial, as is incorporating treatment oils to help support the skin’s natural barrier which is often challenged by the environment during waking hours.
“In addition, using products that have a combination of Hyaluronic acids combined with new motivation-activated lavender essential oil will not only boost the hydration and moisture content of the skin, but also aid in a more restful sleep.”
She concluded by advising that we look to applying products that are antioxidant-heavy as it “helps replace those that are depleted during the day, and ‘refills the reservoir’ for the following day.”
Ultimately, we want to be going to be bed as early as possible in order to maximise the time our skin has to renew. Again, this isn’t going to come as news to anyone who has been trying to reverse the effects of ageing since they were 18 like me, but hey, it always helps to be reminded.
[“Source-bodyandsoul”]
