After a night of sleep, your skin needs to be woken up—not stripped of its natural oils via a medicated cleanser. "The number one thing that makes your face look older is being overly dry," says Julius Few, MD, director of the skin clinic at The Few Institute for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Going a night with little to no sleep can also decrease production of growth hormone, which helps to maintain the process of skin's tissue repair, as well. Skin repairs itself as we sleep to maintain its youthful appearance. If you don't sleep well at night, you may find yourself looking “older” in the morning.
For many people, waking up with a puffy face stems from normal overnight fluid retention — but this may be more noticeable if a person gets too little or too much sleep. Lying down causes fluid to rest and collect in the face, and a person's sleeping position may also exacerbate this.
A warm room causes pores to contract and expand. Once sweat gets in, pores can become clogged and prone to blackheads and breakouts. They'll also become more visible in the morning, said Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, director of the Fifth Avenue Dermatology Surgery and Laser Center in New York City.
New Word Suggestion. The tired unattrative appearance one has when first waking up in the morning.
Once you get up and spend time upright, the excess fluid drains away to make your face look normal again. An expert said that puffiness is directly linked to the sleeping position of a person. This means those who sleep face down will have a puffier face than those who sleep with their face upwards.
Those creases you wake up with after you've face-planted for a long night's rest? Not so harmless. "They are caused by the skin crunching against a pillowcase and breaking down collagen and elastic tissue," explains dermatologist Debra Jaliman, the author of Skin Rules.
Dehydration. If you don't drink enough water or if the weather is especially dry outside (say, during a hot summer or very cold winter), the amount of moisture below the skin's surface can reduce, leaving skin that looks deflated and dull, instead of plump and bright. Leaving your make-up on overnight.
Inadequate sleep, lack of exercise, too much screen time, diet, environmental aggressors, a buildup of dead skin cells, dryness, natural ageing, smoking, and second-hand smoke can all contribute.
Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn explains the phenomenon of apparent aging that happens overnight. When a person experiences a massively stressful event, they can appear to have aged several years. This is a direct result of the cells not being able to rejuvenate properly.
Water, water everywhere
Even better - keep a glass of water by your bed so it's the first thing you see when you open your eyes. Also add hydrating serum or hydrating moisturizer to your night skincare routine to wake up with feeling refreshed with healthy 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.
Our body repairs itself best between the hours of 10pm to 2am. During this period, the body will experience a peak of growth hormones, which will be lowered if sleep is delayed. Growth hormones are crucial for the repair and maintenance of our body.
In short, the answer is a resounding yes. Getting plenty of rest will help you look your best, as long as you don't fall asleep in your makeup. But not all sleep is created equal, so let's take a look at why beauty rest works and what you should know to maximize the advantages.
This is because the reflection you see every day in the mirror is the one you perceive to be original and hence a better-looking version of yourself. So, when you look at a photo of yourself, your face seems to be the wrong way as it is reversed than how you are used to seeing it.
“Water retention lotions and creams used at night, pillow height during the night as well as pressure being placed on your face while sleeping can all be causes of facial puffiness in the morning,” Dr. Fusco adds.
The biggest reason is gravity! Your head is on the top of your body most of the day, but when you lie down more fluids will gather in the soft parts of your face, making it puffy and swollen. It's the same reason why your feet are more swollen in the evening.