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Your
body is best able to heal while you are
asleep
Contrary to what you might think, your body
gets a lot accomplished while you're
sleeping, and one of those things is tissue
repair. Many acne sufferers choose the time
before bed to attack their face, confident
that the redness and irritation will have
diminished by the following morning. While
that's not at all recommended, it is true
that the appearance of minor scars and
inflammation is usually reduced, and that's
because sleep is the time when your body
is most efficient at healing your skin.
Without enough sleep, your skin won't get a
chance to properly heal and repair, and acne
blemishes will end up looking worse and
lasting longer.
So how much sleep is enough? Well,
the optimal is to get 8 hours of sleep
every night.
It's said that adults can get by fine with 6
hours, but if you have acne, just "getting
by" isn't enough. You need a full 8 hours to
allow your skin time to repair and
rejuvenate.
Not
all sleep is equal
You've read my
acne tip
about consistency, right? Well that applies
here. Your body likes to keep things
predictable, including your sleep pattern.
If you are sleeping erratically, going to
bed and getting up at different times
throughout the week, getting 4 hours of rest one night and 10 hours the next, etc -
chances are you're going to feel tired
throughout the day, and your skin is not
going to be healing as well as it should.
The answer is not to drink more coffee.
To get good quality sleep, your nightly
pattern needs to be consistent. That
means letting your body fall into a natural,
healthy rhythm.
Naps are not a good solution to lack
of sleep during the night hours. You don't
want to get 5 hours of regular sleep and
then pass out on the couch for 3 hours every
day. Healing acne blemishes takes time, and
your body is able to be more productive over
prolonged periods of sleep. Getting
scattered rest basically interrupts your
healing process right in the middle. So
remember, getting a solid 8 hours of sleep is far
better for you than getting 4 hours
twice per day.
Likewise, there is such a thing as getting
too much sleep. While the benefits of
sleep are great, you want 8 hours, not 10 or
more. The reason for this is that too much
sleep can have the unwanted effect of
slowing down your metabolism, and a slower
metabolism can make it that much more
difficult to get rid of acne. Your body
needs to stay active to metabolize that
excess skin oil.
So get the right amount of sleep, and get
good quality sleep. Don't overlook a
sleeping disorder if you've got acne.
Sometimes attaining clear skin has more to do
with the hours you spend dreaming than
anything you do while you're awake.
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