We’ve talked about how important a solid nighttime skincare routine is in previous posts (like this one and this one), so consider this a gentle (but STERN) reminder if you haven’t yet gotten it together yet. This time around since it’s also Sleep Awareness Month, I’m adding in some additional tidbits about how being well-rested can also benefit your health.
Our skin runs on a 24-hour circadian rhythm and changes in the skin throughout this cycle can be measured–particularly how much water the skin loses. As such there are optimal times to apply certain products in your skincare regimen. I had a chat with Procter & Gamble Principal Scientist & Associate Director Scientific Communications Dr Frauke Neuser about this and she explained some of the science behind why we apply certain skincare products at specific times of day. Our skin’s cell turnover rate and exfoliation slow down at night making it a popular time to use exfoliating pads and toners. Hydration also goes down at night which is one reason why more hydrating creams are used in bedtime routines. It’s also easier for skincare ingredients to penetrate the skin at night—one of many reasons why certain actives are best used during the nighttime (another reason being that some actives make the skin very photosensitive and can cause damage if used during the day).
Nighttime skincare routines will vary greatly depending on your skin type and skincare needs. Your routine can also change with the seasons as well (read more about this here). But a basic nighttime routine looks a little something like this:
1. Cleanse
(which can include any pre-cleansing such as cleansing oils or balms to remove makeup)
2. Treat
(this can include toners, serums, masks, exfoliators, etc as needed)
3. Moisturize
(facial moisturizers, eye creams, neck and chest creams—sometimes your facial moisturizer can double as your neck and chest moisturizer)
If you want more posts to read that can help you decide what to include in your routine, check these out:
Here’s What You Need in Your Nighttime Skincare Routine
Why You Need a Solid Nighttime Skincare Regimen
Yup, I Still Use My Clarisonic + Other Skincare Things You Should Know…
Skincare Product Reviews
Skincare & Makeup Posts You MUST Read
Another important part of your nighttime routine that doesn’t involve any skincare products at all is the quality and quantity of sleep you get. There are numerous studies that show how sleep and skin are related, but without even reading a single one, I bet most of you can typically see the difference in your skin when you’ve been sleeping well vs when you haven’t. The amount of sleep we require is determined by a number of factors including age. I recently had the opportunity to try out the Sleeptracker app, a new memory foam mattress, and even a sheet and comforter set, all items designed to work together to increase sleep quality from Tomorrow Sleep. I’ve been trying out the mattress since November (so far, so good for my sometimes ailing back) and the app works with a device that is placed under my mattress and it records the quality of the sleep I’m getting. I plugged in some information and it sends me reminders for when it’s time for me to go to bed and when it’s time to wake up. It also keeps track of my sleep patterns which helps me to know what I might need to tweak in my routine. Last year I was able to turn a spare bedroom into my home office so now I sleep and work in two separate rooms. I only use my bedroom to sleep (and other things *wink*) so I have trained myself to associate my room with sleep. If I’m in my bed for more than like 15-30 mins, I will fall asleep—it’s one of the reasons why I initially didn’t have a TV in my bedroom—but then I got a bigger TV for my living room and wound up with a small TV for my bedroom but I very rarely get to watch much TV in there. I’ve read that if you have too many stimuli in your bedroom (i.e. the television, tablets, smartphones, etc.) it can affect your quality of sleep. Since making these arrangements, I’ve been able to sleep much better and the Sleeptracker app allows me to see if I need to make any tweaks to my sleeping routine. Here’s the reading I got from last night:
Now I’m not oversimplifying any of this and saying that all you need is a new mattress, a sleep tracking app, and some sleep to get rid of your skin issues. But getting a good night’s sleep regularly is one of the many components to great skin health. Great sleep also helps to aid in other areas of your health like digestion and also the part of your health that prevents you from unleashing physical harm to annoying coworkers…lol.
