Beauty rest is a very real thing. Let me break it down for you: in the first three hours of sleeping, you get the deepest rest of the night. During these hours, your body produces the most human growth hormone, a.k.a. repairs your skin and hair. Collagen, anyone? The middle two hours of sleep is when REM begins. Melatonin increases, and it’s actually a skin-protecting antioxidant in addition to the relaxing powers that made it famous. During the last three hours of sleep, you get the most REM action. Your skin reaches its lowest temperature, your muscles relax, and skin gets its deepest recovery. Scroll down for three beauty benefits you’ll love.
A more radiant complexion. Fatigue prevents blood from flowing efficiently, making your skin look dull. The human growth hormone production that occurs is key to collagen production, but also causes skin to lose more water than it does during the day, so nighttime moisturizing is a must!
Eyes that look fully awake. Laying horizontal overnight can cause fluid to pool beneath your eyes. Ew. Don’t let this happen. Skip the salt after lunch, and don’t drink an entire bottle of wine at dinner. You can also dab on a caffeine gel before bedtime.
Smoother skin. You already know that recovering is super important when working out, and it’s just as important for keeping your skin healthy. While you sleep, skin cells regenerate and your facial muscles relax, which means so do the unsightly lines that they create. You can enhance these natural nightly occurrences with pre-sleep anti-aging products.
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