“Beauty Sleep” Isn’t Just a Saying

Written By Gabby Grenier

We’ve all heard the phrase “beauty sleep”, but we might not realize how true it is. After some research, I’ve found that there is truly a science behind “beauty sleep”. Getting good sleep allows your brain to fully reset each night. Some benefits include:

  • Increase in growth hormones

  • Strengthening the immune system

  • Formation and maintenance of pathways in the brain related to learning and memory

  • Decrease of stress hormones

Now I don’t know about you, but sleeping away my stress doesn’t sound too bad. If you don’t get the recommended 7 hours of sleep each night, you may start to notice that your skin is paler, you have more wrinkles, there are dark circles under your eyes, and your eyes are red or swollen. All of these unwanted effects come from not getting enough rest. Beauty companies try to make money off of this and tell you to get the cream and your dark circles with disappear. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars when all you need to do is get a few more hours of sleep at night. With the right amount of sleep, you can:

  • See a reduction in wrinkles

  • Have more self-confidence

  • Have a healthier complexion

  • Get stronger hair

  • Have less puffy eyes

Now you need the right ritual in order to get the “beauty sleep” that you need. Hopefully, you did some sort of physical activity that day. Moving your body every day helps your body wake up from the night before, so when bedtime comes around, your body is ready to rest. Sleep in a dark room that is cool and quiet. I fall asleep to ocean waves, so background noise like that can be calming if that’s something that you think would help you fall asleep quicker. Try reading before bed rather than doom-scrolling. The blue light will keep you tossing and turning for hours. All of this won’t make a difference if you don’t go to sleep at a decent time each night. Keep it early and consistent. For most teenagers, 9:30-10:30 is a good range considering school and extracurriculars. So go and get your “beauty sleep” tonight, you deserve it.

Source: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health/beauty-sleep

Gabby Grenier