Written by: Rebecca Marroquin, L.E
How much sleep are you getting?
How important is it really?
Consultation time with new patients can often turn into lament sessions on “why is my skin misbehaving when I’m living a healthy lifestyle!?”
I go through the basic questions of skincare regiment, diet and exercise, water intake etc. All boxes check “yes”!
“How’s your sleep habit?” *Crickets*
Patient slowly res
ponds “um could be better, average 4-6 hours if I’m lucky.”
This answer is a very common one with my patients. So don’t worry you are not alone if this is you. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make it any less unhealthy so let’s chat about getting your ZZZ’s on!
The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours a night for overall health. Why? Because your body is amazing and does some pretty amazing work when you sleep. This is when the repairs start really happening. During sleep our body sends fluids to your organs(skin being the largest) and tissues that need replenishment, while removing excess fluid and toxins. This increases environmental recovery, collagen growth, hydration in the skin, overall healthy skin! Your body also produces Human Growth Hormone(HGH) can help to speed up healing after an injury and repair muscle tissue after exercise. This helps to build muscle mass, boost metabolism, and burn 
fat. Who does love that??
Cutting this time(sleep) short you are cutting this process short which WILL lead to pockets of fluid develope under eyes giving that sunken swollen look, pale, dehydration of the skin occurs as well. Over time depriving your body of sleep will also elevate your cortisol production which puts you in a constant state of stress, this weakens your immune system breaking down proteins and elasticity in the skin, increasing wrinkles, slows blood flow, and can lead to more serious skin problems such as eczema, acne, psoriasis, and long-term breakdown of the skin barrier. This is JUST on the surface, imagine what sleep deprivation does inside??
Here’s the thing, you can use the best product lines, get the best spa treatments, eat the most organics, run miles, but if your sleep isn’t up to par, unlike your insides it will show! And good luck explaining to your skin about your busy schedule.
So get your ZZZZ’s make it a priority, put yourself on time out and you will definitely reap the fruit of your unconscious labor. 