Most of us aren’t getting enough sleep. And I’m not just speaking from personal experience; a recent sleep survey found 56% of women say they’re not getting enough consistent sleep.
Poor sleep doesn’t only cause brain fog, anxiety, and general feelings of meh-ness. It can also lead to a bunch of very inconvenient skin issues like dullness, inflammation, and a cranky skin barrier.
I asked dermal clinical Yadira Cauchi on what is the best skincare to add to your skincare routine when your sleep routine is non-existent.
1. Barrier-Repairing Ingredients
“At night, prioritising barrier-repairing ingredients like ceramides (plus hydrating humectants like glycerin or hyaluronic acid) can really help,” says Yadira.
“Poor sleep can leave skin more prone to water loss, irritation, and inflammation, so to bring skin back to life hydration and barrier-loving ingredients are key.”
Why This Works
Since your body isn’t fully doing its overnight repair job, it’s up to your routine to try and cover the shift.
Ingredients like ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol help replenish the lipids since your poor sleep means your skin isn’t doing its usual work to produce those on its own. These are crucial to keeping barrier strong and functioning properly.
Humectants help draw water into the skin to keep it hydrated—something your skin struggles to maintain when you’re not sleeping enough. Occlusives help seal that moisture in, preventing it from evaporating. Together, this duo reduces water loss and keeps your barrier functioning, even when your natural overnight repair isn’t keeping up.
Plus! A compromised barrier can worsen a bunch of the symptoms a compromised sleep schedule already causes.
2. Vitamin A
“For long-term “my skin just looks healthier” results, I’ll never go past a gentle vitamin A,” adds Yadira.
“This can help with texture, fine lines, and overall renewal. Just make sure you’re using the right strengths for your skin (as using the wrong ones can make things worse).”
Why This Works
Vitamin A helps boost a bunch of the processes your skin is supposed to be taking care of overnight.
Whilst our skin is turning over cells 24/7, sleep is when your skin does its best turnover work. Vitamin A helps make up for your skin not getting its sleep window. By signaling skin cells to divide and move up through the layers of the skin more quickly, vitamin A helps your skin shed the old, dead cells on the surface more efficiently. For a faster, more organised cell turnover process—and brighter, fresher skin as a result.
At the same time, vitamin A also helps stimulate collagen production—a crucial part of our skin’s sleep recovery process. By boosting collagen production deeper in the skin, vitamin A helps to strengthen its structure and improve firmness over time.
Basically, vitamin A pushes those processes your skin would be taking care of overnight back into gear.
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