Getting your Beauty Sleep: How the Benefits Go Deeper than Skincare

Written by Lila Mabanta

Our whole lives we’ve been told how important getting enough sleep is. It’s a thing that’s deeply indoctrinated in us, but at the same time, we shrug it off constantly. I know that for myself, I’m always procrastinating ending my nightly in-bed-phone-time, and then hating myself for it in the morning. I’m a Taurus, the sign that’s stereotypically known for always being sleepy, and to an extent I resonate with that, but sometimes my actions (aka going to bed late) don’t align with it. “Beauty sleep” often glamorizes sleep when we don’t necessarily want to do it. It’s easy to care about it more when we can associate it with gaining glowy skin and bright under-eyes. However, sleep helps most significantly with the beauty within our bodies. So, for both you and me, let’s learn about some of sleep’s important internal benefits that will ultimately help with having more well-rounded beautiful lives.

We all know that the average healthy amount of sleep is approximately 8 hours. Within that, a healthy amount of sleep should comprise around 4 to 6 sleep cycles, about 90 minutes each (Stages of Sleep). These cycles are determined by brain activity throughout sleep, averaged around 4 cycles, consisting of one rapid eye movement (REM) stage and 3 non-REM (NREM) stages (Stages of Sleep). Within the NREM stages, the first stage is the first few minutes when your body is falling asleep but can be easily woken up. The second stage is more relaxed and slowed, and the third stage is “deep sleep.”; the further along the stages, the deeper the sleep (Stages of Sleep).

Often sleep is sacrificed because we’re busy doing so many other things we view as productive. Personally, when my whole day is filled with school, work, and more, all I want to do at night is crawl into my bed and indulge in my phone through TikTok and other activities (that in the grand scheme of things aren’t that important). Even if I get into bed at 11 p.m., it’s likely I won’t actually put down my phone and close my eyes until midnight. That hour though, can still be pretty tame to others. Often we feel like the nighttime is the only time we have available to do our assignments or other responsibilities when we are outside of work hours, and most likely, when no one else is going to bother us. However, sacrificing sleep for productivity can be very counterproductive, as “loss of sleep impairs your higher levels of reasoning, problem-solving and attention to detail,” slows your reflexes, and worsens your focus (Benefits of Slumber). Researchers have coined the brain plasticity theory, which theorizes “why humans sleep, posits that sleep is necessary so the brain can grow, reorganize, restructure, and make new neural connections” (8 Health Benefits). In detail, one week of insufficient sleep can slow down the speed of thinking, and reduce accuracy and performance in activities such as driving (8 Health Benefits). So, if we want to be on our A-game like we always claim, we need to get sufficient amounts of sleep!

If you’re constantly sleep-deprived, over time there’s a higher risk of developing depression (Benefits of Slumber). Studies have found that “sleep restores the body and improves energy levels, so waking up well-rested can have a positive impact on an individual’s mood”, where on the opposite side, “a chronic lack of sleep can lead to anxiety, depression, and irritability” (8 Health Benefits). It makes sense why so many of us don’t like to interact with other people early in the morning, especially if we aren’t getting enough sleep– 8 a.m. classes, I’m looking at you. Sleeping also reduces stress, which can easily be tied into depression. The whole relationship between sleep and depression can actually be quite tricky, as “poor sleep can contribute to the development of depression and having depression makes a person more likely to experience sleep troubles”, and can end up being the chicken or the egg situation (Depression and Sleep).  

Sleep also is directly tied to health. Wonder why college kids get sick so often? Well, the first answer may be from partying, but it's likely also heavily correlated with lack of sleep, as sleep affects our immune system (Benefits of Slumber). It can also impact how vaccines work in your body, as there’s “research showing that well-rested people who received the flu vaccine developed stronger protection against the illness” (Benefits of Slumber). As someone who currently is suffering from a cold, all I can think about right now is how much I’m looking forward to going to sleep tonight.

Sleep is tied to countless other health benefits, including improved digestion, greater heart function, less inflammation, improvement in memory, and so much more (The Importance of Sleep). So, knowing this, how do we actually implement better sleep schedules? Well, maybe it might help to keep your bed associated only with sleeping– not your couch or desk throughout the day. I try to always do my work at my desk rather than my bed, both to create a work versus home balance, not fall asleep while doing my work, and to keep my bed mentally associated with nighttime. If you’re a big napper, try to limit it to only 15 to 30 minutes so it doesn’t impact your essential overnight sleep (The Importance of Sleep). Try to avoid caffeine as well in the evening, as you already know it’s most likely going to impact your sleep, which can include some chocolates and candies. In addition, move your body during the day– if there’s a day where I feel like I did nothing (aka literally only 300 steps within my apartment) then it’s harder to get tired, and easier to justify staying up late. I also try to set a time in my head when I know it’s time to begin my nighttime routine and that it’s too late to still be wearing my daytime clothes. Try sticking to that, which may help standardize your bedtime. If you’re a night showerer, make sure you aren’t showering at midnight. If you’re a morning showerer (like me), account for the extra sleep you might need for that earlier wake up time. Overall, try to be more mindful of your sleep and its importance. I know it’s way easier said than done, and this is only in the general sphere, but we can all work on it!

So, with all that in mind, I know that I’m definitely going to prioritize my sleep tonight, and hopefully, you will too! Goodnight!

Be Well,

Lila

Sources:

434marketing, and Community Access Network. “The Importance of Sleep to Personal Wellness.” Community Access Network, 1 Mar. 2021, www.communityaccessnetwork.org/the-importance-of-sleep-to-personal-wellness/.  

“The Benefits of Slumber.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 4 Apr. 2018, newsinhealth.nih.gov/2013/04/benefits-slumber. 

Newsom, Rob. “Depression and Sleep.” Sleep Foundation, 20 Oct. 2023, www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health/depression-and-sleep. 

Summer, Jay. “8 Health Benefits of Sleep.” Sleep Foundation, 27 June 2023, www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/benefits-of-sleep. 

Suni, Eric. “Stages of Sleep: What Happens in a Sleep Cycle.” Sleep Foundation, 3 Nov. 2023, www.sleepfoundation.org/stages-of-sleep.