We all know the dangers of poor sleep. Here's what it does to your skin

The Age

31-05-2025

This story is part of the June 1 edition of Sunday Life. See all 14 stories.
It's well known that an unsettled night's sleep can lead to lacklustre skin. When you sleep, skin goes into repair mode, so if your sleep patterns are erratic it will show on your face the next day. Bad sleep affects collagen production, which is essential for maintaining skin hydration and elasticity, and a lack of sleep can cause inflammation and a compromised skin barrier. Face-planting into your pillow can also leave creases on your skin.
'Bad sleep is often due to stress, which has a significant impact on skin, and chronic sleep restriction is much worse than a short-term sleep issue,' says Sydney dermatologist Dr Ritu Gupta.
She says poor sleep leads to collagen breaking down and decreased skin-barrier function, which means increased susceptibility to eczema, irritation and infection. 'Collagen breakdown accelerates the ageing process, and a lack of sleep also decreases the lipids in the skin, which leads to it sagging.'
So how much sleep is enough? The general rule of thumb is eight hours. Here are a few tips to help your skin get a good night's sleep.
Elevate your head by sleeping on two pillows, ideally in silk pillowcases such as those from Slip ($115). Elevation decreases facial swelling and improves blood flow and lymphatic drainage, says Gupta. 'Some extension of the neck means that finally our 'tech necks' can have a much-needed rest. Having your neck constantly flexed by looking at a phone screen creates horizontal lines. Sleeping slightly elevated means a reprieve from that position.'
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If you're able to sleep on your back, this helps reduce the chest and face wrinkles that can occur if you are a side or tummy sleeper. Try an Orthopaedic cervical pillow ($80, from Ergonomist) that cradles your neck, keeping it properly aligned with your head and shoulders. This helps reduce pressure on the neck muscles.
Night creams, with their rich, hydrating ingredients to plump, firm and brighten, are bedtime essentials. An oldie but goodie is Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair ($199) with tripeptide-32, hyaluronic acid and polyglutamic acid. Peptides serve as messengers between skin cells to encourage them to produce more collagen, accelerating wound healing and protecting the skin barrier.
For more nighttime magic, we like Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Pro+ Night Cream ($33). And for eyes, try Medik8 Advanced Night Eye ($96), which has great de-puffing powers, boosts radiance and targets dark circles. (As an added bonus, this cream also works like a charm under make-up.) For lips, we love Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask ($25).