4 night time phenomenons that affect our skin when we wake up
Lots of things happen while we sleep! Being a living organism that never sleeps, our skin goes through a very important phase during the night. It is not uncommon for the quality of our sleep to affect how we look in the morning. Find out what's behind 4 common signs that surprise us when we wake up and that are affected by our sleep!
Bags under the eyes
Have you ever woken up with those infamous bags under your eyes? The phenomenon of puffy and swollen morning eyes is impacted by several factors!
During the night, the lymph, responsible for transporting blood waste, can accumulate in the lower eyelid, causing it to swell. When our body is tired, the blood and lymphatic circulation becomes more sluggish and tends to create an accumulation of fluid in this place. This poor drainage can also be caused by poor lifestyle habits, such as lack of sleep, consumption of alcohol and salty foods, for example.
Also, we noticed that the loss of firmness (sagging) of aging skin also plays a role in the appearance of puffiness since the fat lodged in the upper eyelid sags. The tissues no longer retain fats and liquids as well as before which can accentuate bags under the eyes.
Here is how to prevent the aesthetic appearance of puffiness:
Raise the head slightly with a pillow to avoid the accumulation of lymph in the face.
When you wake up, apply cold to the under eye area to decongest and stimulate circulation (we suggest using our personalized Gua Sha).
Reduce salt and alcohol intake, as it can slow down microcirculation and lead to water accumulation.
Make sure you have a good sleep hygiene
Pillow folds (or sleep wrinkles)
It’s not a myth! The habit of sleeping in the same position and with your face against the pillow, marks can settle on your skin and surprise you when we wake up!
Unlike expression lines, sleep lines are caused by the weight of our head on the pillow causing our skin to wrinkle. Although wrinkles are associated with more mature skin, sleep wrinkles can appear on younger skin.
Between the ages of 20 and 30, this wrinkle is mainly caused by the weight of our head which puts pressure on the pillow and forms a fold. Do not worry; these wrinkles are not here to stay! This superficial wrinkle will disappear shortly after waking up. Bet on good hydration to avoid it!
After the age of 40, dehydration is the #1 factor in sleep wrinkles. Over the years, the skin gradually loses its ability to regulate its water concentration. The ceramides that form the skin barrier decrease with age, allowing water to escape which amplifies this effect of sleep wrinkles.
How to reduce the appearance of sleep wrinkles:
Avoid sleeping with your face against the pillow.
Use a moisturizer that strengthens the skin barrier, with ceramides or hyaluronic acid to plump up the skin like our personalized serum and personalized night cream.
Invest in a satin pillowcase.
Use face massage techniques.
Dull complexion and appearance of imperfection
We cannot deny it; our skin is much more radiant after a good night's sleep. But do you know why the quality of our sleep has such an impact on our skin?
In fact, our skin goes into a whole different rhythm during the night: it goes into regeneration mode, especially between midnight and 4 am! This is called chronobiology! Microcirculation then reaches its maximum, which causes the skin to detoxify to eliminate the pollutants accumulated during the day. Thanks to blood flow and temperature at their peak, damaged cells begin to repair themselves and the body creates new ones.
On the other hand, when sleep is not sufficient or is not restorative enough, the skin cannot repair the damage caused by the pollutants of the day nor renew the cells. This is when you wake up with a dull complexion and sometimes even with pimples.
How to avoid gray complexion and pimples when you wake up:
Remove make-up and cleanse your skin well to facilitate skin rejuvenation during the night.
Apply skincare that is made of repairing active ingredients such as ceramides and vitamin E such as our personalized night cream.
Relax your body and mind before going to bed to promote restful sleep
Go to bed before midnight to maximize your skin regeneration period.
Dark circles
Ah those famous dark circles: they are always there to betray our lack of sleep! Tinted with blue-ish to brown-ish pigments, our dark circles are attributable to poor blood circulation and an imbalance of lymphatic tissues. Since the epidermis under our eyes is up to 4 times thinner than elsewhere on our body, the darker pigments linked to poor blood circulation are more apparent.
Different colors means different types of dark circles!
Reddish, mauve or bluish: Of vascular origin, they are caused by inefficient drainage which leads to blood congestion. They are associated with lifestyle, such as lack of sleep for example.
Brownish dark circles: Of hereditary origin, this type of dark circle is of pigmentary origin. The skin has difficulty eliminating superfluous pigments which creates the brownish appearance.
How to reduce their appearance:
Use eye contour care that stimulates blood circulation and relieves blood flow like our Multi-Action Eye Contour Cream.
Avoid any lifestyle habits that cause vascular problems (cigarettes and eating saturated fats)
Optimize your sleep routine
Apply something cold under the eyes or use cold tools such as our personalized Gua Sha
Perform gentle massage around the eye area performing an outwards motion.
Elbaz, E. (2018, 9 Septembre). Comment adapter sa routine beauté à son biorythme. https://www.lexpress.fr/styles/soins/comment-adapter-sa-routine-beaute-a-son-biorythme_2034083.html
