iS Skin Source 2021 Q2 | Page 64

Aging : The Impact of Sleep on Skin | by Tyler Peters
According to researchers , a nap of around 20 minutes can be beneficial and restorative . Sleeping longer than that during the day can reinforce a negative cycle of improper sleep at night .
Sleep and Skin Aging
We age like we do everything else – one minute , one hour , one day at a time . Skin aging involves both intrinsic and extrinsic processes . Intrinsic aging relates directly to internal factors , primarily to the creation of energy within all living cells , including skin cells . Extrinsic aging involves external factors , such as sun exposure , pollution , blue light exposure , and environmental toxins .
Poor-quality sleep increases both intrinsic and extrinsic aging . In 2013 , the University Hospital Case Medical Cen- ter studied 60 pre-menopausal women between the ages of 30 and 49 . Half of the study participants were considered poor-quality sleepers ( according to The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ). The study investigated the link between poor sleep and skin aging / compromised recovery from environmental stress using visual skin assessments . The participants engaged in several non-invasive skin challenges , including skin barrier disruption and a UV light exposure test . They documented their sleep during the one-week study period .
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