6 Ways to Get Pretty While You Sleep

By Anna K. Fryxell | 

Your skin goes through a lot during the day. We unknowingly touch it with our fingers constantly and leave behind dirt, oil and bacteria. On top of that, it’s exposed to the sun, pollution and other factors that can cause damage. All of these combined are a perfect recipe for breakouts and signs of aging like wrinkles. That’s why the break your skin gets while you sleep is so important.

Follow these tips to make sure you wake up with gorgeous skin every day.

1. Get enough sleep

This one seems like a no-brainer, but there are still so many that don’t get enough shut-eye. Sleep is especially important because it gives your skin time to recharge. If you don’t get enough sleep, there are both short and long-term consequences. “Short term effects can be seen immediately [with] under eye bags, dark circles and sensitive skin, says Smithtown, NY, dermatologist Marina Peredo, MD. “These usually go away when the appropriate number of hours of sleep has been met. If someone is constantly not getting enough sleep, it can lead to inflammation and acceleration in aging, resulting in the appearance of wrinkles and even acne.”

Additionally, when you don’t get enough sleep you yawn more. “When you yawn, your eyes tear up and fluid pools in the eye area causing puffiness,” says celebrity aesthetician Renée Rouleau.

2. Avoid salty food three to four hours before bedtime

“Foods that are high in salt lead to dehydration, which is what you want to avoid for your skin while asleep, says Dr. Peredo. “Salty foods can cause a fluid shift, which results in puffy eyes.”

3. Sleep on your back

“Sleeping with your face directly touching your pillow often leads to lines and creases in the skin, which can become permanent,” says Dr. Peredo.

While you’re at it, keep your head elevated with at least two stacked pillows to prevent under-eye puffiness. “Gravity has to be leveled to avoid puffiness so that fluids are distributed everywhere, not just to one given area,” says Dr. Peredo.

4. Give your skin a final wipe after you cleanse

Cleansing is an absolute must, but to avoid having a little bit of makeup left over, do the following: After you rinse off your cleanser, do a final swipe over the skin with a wipe or soft, damp washcloth. “The physical sweep over the skin makes sure that makeup is off,” says Rouleau. “This will give your skin a clean slate to absorb the reparative ingredients that you’re going to use.”

5. Use a good moisturizer for your skin type

Many forgo moisturizer at night because they want to let their skin “breathe,” but that’s actually a misconception. “The concept of your skin breathing is actually incorrect, there are no respiratory systems in your skin,” says Rouleau. “Your skin is like a fish and needs water to live. Without enough moisture, the skin cells dehydrate and skin produces extra oil to compensate causing wrinkles and acne.”

When looking for a moisturizer, choose one that doesn’t contain sunscreen. “The main goal of sunscreen is to protect skin from UV light, but non-sunscreen moisturizers will typically have a higher concentration of skin-benefitting ingredients.”

6. Use an eye cream

If there’s any time of day when you absolutely should wear an eye cream, it’s at night. “They work better at night because you’re not wearing makeup,” says Rouleau. That said, be careful not to put them too close to your lash line because your lashes can pick it up and deposit it into the eye, which causes puffiness. We like Caudalie Premier Cru The Eye Cream($99) or Renée Rouleau Firming Eye Therapy ($42).