154 DECEMBER 2017
GIAMPAOLO SGURAleep. It may be one of the most hyped
subjects of the wellness movement.
From Gwyneth Paltrow, who spruiks
‘clean sleeping’ and stocks indelicately named
supplements like Why Am I So Effing Tired?
on her wellness site Goop, to Arianna
Huffington, who penned the best-selling book
The Sleep Revolution, which claims to
‘transform your life, one night at a time’, it
seems everyone is sanctimonious about sleep.
Like adopting a floral wardrobe for spring,
the notion that sleep is beneficial is neither
surprising nor groundbreaking. In fact, the
beauty industry has been championing
thecause long before Paltrow jumped on
board. Take Estée Lauder’s trailblazing
Advanced Night Repair serum. Launched in
1982, it was the first formulation to recognise
that skin repair and sleep are happy
bedfellows. Now, phrases such as ‘circadian
rhythm’ and ‘REM sleep’ are as at home on
press releases as descriptors like ‘plumping’
a n d ‘s m o o t h i n g ’.
And rightly so. “Skin does the bulk of its
repairing, restoring and regenerating while
we sleep,” says cosmetic and laser
dermatologist Michelle Hunt. “Lack of sleep
means that the skin does not have the ability
to fully repair and regenerate. This results in
compromised skin barrier function and
increased signs of intrinsic skin ageing.”
When we fall into a deep sleep – yes, quality,
not just quantity, matters – we naturally
produce human growth hormone, which
plays a pivotal role in healing cells throughout
the body, notably in our skin. “Not getting
enough sleep cuts the crucial repair time,
which can actually cause fine lines to become
more prominent, dark circles to pop up, and
your complexion to turn pale, dull and droopy,”
says sleep expert Dr Carmel Harrington,
adding that cortisol levels, which are linked to
stress and increase when we experience a lack
of sleep, can fuel sebum production and, in
turn, induce breakouts.S
The benefits of sleep are well
documented, but what really
happens to your skin and hair
when you nod off? By Remy Rippon.While
you were
sleeping
VOGUE BEAUTY
→