Beneath the surface, your body is aging too, and sleep loss can speed up the process. A study done by UCLA researchers discovered that just a single night of insufficient sleep can make an older adults' cells age quicker. This might not seem like a big deal, but it has the potential to bring on a lot of other diseases.
Results show that the faces of sleep-deprived individuals were perceived as having more hanging eyelids, redder eyes, more swollen eyes and darker circles under the eyes. Sleep deprivation also was associated with paler skin, more wrinkles or fine lines, and more droopy corners of the mouth.
Sleep slows down the anti-aging process
Although sleeping can't magically erase wrinkles after a 30 minute nap, it's still enough to make a difference! Whilst you're snoozing away, your skin is busy making new collagen. This is a protein which keeps the cells in your body (especially on your face!)
"Your skin can become imbalanced, leading to a dehydrated, sallow complexion, acne, and redness," she says. "When you get less sleep, you affect your skin's pH levels, which lowers the moisture level and depletes your natural glow."
This all depends upon how late, and how regular, a person's sleep patterns are. For example, falling to sleep at 4 am and waking at 12 pm will cause a person to miss out on a large amount of daylight, especially in winter. This can be problematic for various reasons, including our physical and emotional health.
Researchers have found a direct link between staying up late and the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in adults. Since blood pressure drops during sleep, people who don't get enough night time rest would be more likely to suffer from hypertension, a risk factor for heart disorders like stroke.
This all depends upon how late, and how regular, a person's sleep patterns are. For example, falling to sleep at 4 am and waking at 12 pm will cause a person to miss out on a large amount of daylight, especially in winter. This can be problematic for various reasons, including our physical and emotional health.
Studies show that night owls and those who wake up later actually are smarter and more creative than their early rising counterparts. They also have higher IQs according to The Independent. Unfortunately, night owls have slightly lower academic scores than early risers (by about 8%).
Staying awake through the night takes a toll on physical health. Fatigue and low energy levels are more frequent when the body's muscles and organs don't have time to recover during sleep. Impaired physical capabilities have been evident in research that found worsened performance among endurance athletes.
Overall, the team found an association between genetic predisposition to habitual daytime napping and larger brain volume equivalent to 2.6 to 6.5 fewer years of ageing, although there was no relationship with cognitive performance such as reaction times.
Twin studies revealed that a person who has a BMI 4 points higher can look 2-4 years younger. The reason is that the face naturally loses fat as we get older. Features such as full lips and round cheeks are associated with youth.
How many hours is beauty sleep? Seven to nine quality hours of sleep per night is ideal for “beauty sleep.” If you regularly get less than six hours of sleep, you may start to see some side effects on your skin.
The key is to get enough shut-eye -- 7 to 9 quality hours each night. If you're getting fewer than 6 hours, it's likely affecting your appearance, says Michael Breus, PhD, a board-certified sleep specialist. Start getting 1 to 3 more hours of Zzz's, and you could see some improvement in as little as a day.
Researchers have found that people who are sleep deprived appear sadder and more fatigued than people who have had sufficient sleep. A small study. View Source investigating social perception and sleep deprivation showed that sleepy-looking people are seen as less attractive and less healthy.
Sleep in Your 30s
Avena explains that the amount of sleep people get tends to decrease with age. "Research has shown that Stage 3 of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep decreases by 2 percent each decade up until the age of 60," she says. "Rapid eye movement (REM) also decreases until about 60 with each decade."
"Staying up all night just once doesn't mean you'll develop one of these health conditions, but engaging in sleep deprivation can encourage poor sleep habits, which, over time, could ultimately impact your overall health," says Dr. Ram.
For example, sleep loss can increase your sensitivity to pain and aggravate medical conditions like asthma and COPD. While a single all-nighter may not affect your health in the long term, chronic sleep loss increases the risk of a number of health issues, such as: Diabetes. Cardiovascular disease.
Sleep impacts all areas of life. If we stay up late, we may tend to snack on unhealthy foods, impacting our diet and throwing off a healthy routine. If we fail to get the proper amount of sleep, we may get sick more often, have heart issues or become anxious or depressed.
Those with an IQ of over 125 tended to go to bed around 12:30 a.m. and wake up around 8:00 a.m. on weekdays, and go to bed around 1:45 a.m. and wake up around 11:00 a.m. on weekends. Those of normal intelligence tended to sleep from 12:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. on weekdays and from 1:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. on weekends.
Some studies show that speaking more rapidly makes you seem more intelligent, possibly because speed implies certainty. So what should you do? There's a better approach than simply speaking quickly or slowly, because how quickly you should speak can depend on the situation you're in.
Between the times of 10:00 pm and 2:00 am the body goes through a dramatic process of physical repair. Between roughly 2:00 am and 6:00 am the body will go through a process of psychological repair. A disrupted sleep pattern will cause the Cortisol to elevate and negatively affect the regenerative process.
Night owls are more at risk for high blood pressure (hypertension) than people who don't stay up late, according to Andrew Varga, MD, assistant professor of medicine, pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine at Icahn School of Medicine and Mount Sinai Health System.
The majority of people go to bed between 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM. If you're wondering what time to go to sleep, earlier would be my recommendation. Going to sleep earlier means you'll wake up earlier and feel more motivated.