For decades it has been common for the phrase “beauty sleep” to be used in reference of sleep. However, research has found that lack of sleep can cause people several problems to people’s skin, meaning that beauty sleep is no myth; here is why you should be getting more of it

Too much stress hormones

Lack of sleep means your body releases too much stress hormones cortisol, too much of cortisol can cause the breakdown of skin collagen, the protein that keeps your skin smooth and elastic.

Fewer growth hormones

Losing out on sleep can also mean your body releases too little of growth hormones, which although may not help us grow once we’ve past puberty, it helps our bodies to increase muscle mass, strengthen bones and thickens skin.

Sleep expert Philip Gehrman, PhD and assistant professor at University of Perelman School of Medicine in Pennsylvania said: “It’s during deep sleep — what we call slow-wave sleep — that growth hormone is released, it seems to be part of normal tissue repair — patching the wear and tear of the day.”

Wrinkles and dark circles

During sleep your body rehydrates, meaning that fine lines and wrinkles are less visible and gives your skin amazing glow, without sleep the appearance of dark circles and wrinkles becomes more prominent, meaning your skin appears more aged.

Skin condition flare ups

Another problem of lack of sleep is that you are more likely to become stressed, which can result in inflammation of skin conditions such as eczema, rosacea and acne.

Slower healing

Throughout the day our skin is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and pollution, when we sleep our skin has time to recover from the exposures, and even helps cuts and bruises heal faster after a good night sleep.

Bruce Katz, MD, a dermatology professor at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York: “A good night’s rest allows your blood supply to bring oxygen to cells so they get repaired properly,”