Does getting good sleep really improve your skin?

Sleep schedule and skincare

As a society, we are generally willing to invest in cosmetic products that promise clearer or more youthful-looking skin. In the UK alone, the skincare market is worth over £3 billion, with non-medicated face care holding the highest value.

Yet, having an expensive skincare routine has limited benefits if you're not getting enough good-quality sleep. Having a good sleep schedule is one of the best steps you can take to achieve healthy skin.

During sleep, your body restores and repairs itself from the stressors of the day. This includes your skin - the largest organ in the human body - as part of your body's own nightly, regenerative skincare routine. This can have a positive impact on inflammatory skin complaints such as acne, eczema, and rosacea. In terms of aesthetic improvements, good-quality sleep also counts as 'beauty sleep' because it can significantly improve the appearance of your skin.

According to the Sleep Foundation, a good-quality night's sleep includes sleeping for roughly 7-9 hours,¹ waking up no more than once, falling asleep within 20 minutes if you do wake up, and feeling rested and energised in the morning.

As you sleep

By sleeping for long enough and without too much disturbance, your body is able to go through distinct stages that contribute to healthy skin, as well as to your overall health. These stages are part of what's known as circadian rhythms - periods of different biological activity controlled by your biological clock.

Of course, getting good-quality sleep does much more than support your skincare routine.

According to Dr Tess McPherson, senior clinical lecturer for paediatric dermatology at Oxford and British Society of Paediatric Dermatology (BSPD) member, sleep is the cornerstone of your functioning immune system and inflammatory pathways. Everything to do with how you function is connected to this - including your skin, mental health, and protection against diseases.

This means that your sleep schedule also impacts medical skin conditions, such as skin rashes. As poorer sleep is linked to greater inflammation, it can make inflammatory conditions worse.

Poor sleep hygiene, poor skin

If your current sleep schedule involves poor-quality sleep, this can significantly affect your skin, and the impact can be immediate.

Long-term effects of a poor sleep schedule

Consistently experiencing poor-quality sleep takes its toll.

This demonstrates how the impact can be both aesthetic and medical - sleep affects not only how your skin looks, but also its ability to protect itself and recover from skin irritations.

Skin appearance and ageing

During the night, levels of the stress hormone cortisol rise. During inadequate sleep, there is a greater rise in these levels which can trigger inflammation⁷ - a protective immune system response to harmful substances and tissue damage. This breaks down the proteins that keep your skin smooth and glowing.

Poor sleep hygiene is also associated with skin dehydration and decreased elasticity,⁸ which can lead to fine lines and wrinkles. Increased sweat production during your sleep acts as a natural skin moisturiser, helping to avoid this. Poor sleep can also lower your skin pH levels, which may in turn cause dry skin.

Furthermore, having a weaker skin barrier increases your chance of damage from UV rays. As well as wrinkles, liver spots, and leathery skin, this may lead to serious issues such as eye damage or melanoma - the most dangerous type of skin cancer.

Skin irritations and diseases

McPherson says that people with skin diseases such as eczema have skin barrier issues and inflammatory issues. This causes itchiness and irritation that often leads to disrupted, poor-quality sleep.

"In turn, poorer sleep makes eczema more inflamed and can be a factor that makes people more resistant to treatment," she adds. "In this sense, people with skin conditions such as eczema can get locked in a vicious cycle."

Research⁹ has also found a similar pattern for people who have rosacea - a skin condition where blood vessels are visible on the face and acne-like spots can appear - and for people with acne.¹⁰ While poor sleep is not a direct cause of these skin issues, it does appear to aggravate them. In addition, many people experience stress due to their skin's appearance, which can further raise cortisol levels, making inflammation worse.

How to get a better sleep routine

McPherson advises that people with medical skin issues need appropriate skin treatment. She also has practical advice that may improve quality of sleep.

In her book Skin Conditions in Young People, McPherson discusses how young people are particularly vulnerable to entering a "vicious and unhealthy psychological cycle" involving poor sleep patterns, worsening skin conditions, and related anxiety.

Anxiety around a poor sleep schedule can happen at any age. McPherson shares the following tips that may help if sleep has become an anxiety-inducing event.