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The science backs it up: beauty sleep works. 

So if you’re up with small children, partying late, or stressing about work at 4am, here are 10 reasons to make more of an effort to go to bed early, combined with a few suggestions as to how to optimise your eight hours.

1. Cortisol, the stress hormone, increases when you are sleep deprived. This creates inflammation in the body, which adversely affects your skin. If you have skin conditions such as eczema or acne, lack of sleep can make them even worse. And inflammation means less collagen and hyaluronic acid, which are what give your skin a lovely, even glow.
   
   
2. During sleep, your body’s hydration is rebalanced. If you don’t get enough sleep, your water balance is affected and this can lead to dryness (yes, that means you’re more prone to wrinkles), puffy eyes and dark circles.
   
   
3. While you sleep, growth hormones work to repair damaged cells. Unless you have plenty of deep sleep, this won’t happen. What will happen is an acceleration of the ageing process.
   
   
4. Lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain. Why? Because tiredness during the day means more snacking and more calories. Don’t pretend you’re not familiar with this one – we’ve all been there…
   
   
5. Get enough sleep and you will look happier! Instant beauty boost.
   
   
6. You’ll recover more slowly from things like sun exposure and environmental pollutants without enough sleep. So it’s especially important to get plenty of shut eye on your summer holiday.
   
   
7. Keep the central heating on at night at your peril. Night time heating dehydrates your skin and you may wake up looking worse than when you went to bed.
   
   
8. Your skincare regime will boost the effects of your beauty sleep. Cleanse your skin before bed to remove absolutely everything, then use products that stimulate cell renewal and replenish your moisture levels. Look for retinol, AHAs and nourishing, hydrating ingredients.
   
   
9. Sleep on your back. This means you won’t need to change position so you sleep more deeply and you won’t wake up with creases down the side of your face.
   
   
10. Struggling to get a good night’s sleep? See our previous blog post!