I Need My Beauty Sleep!

Sleep. It’s one of people’s favorite pastimes. It makes you feel refreshed and it keeps you healthier. I personally feel that I need the above average number of hours of sleep to feel truly rejuvenated. When I say I need my beauty sleep- I mean it.  Up till now, the concept of beauty sleep has lacked scientific support. After browsing Twitter, I came across some information based on a recent Swedish study. There is now evidence that getting a sufficient amount of rest leads to a more beautiful you!

The study included 23 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 31. They were photographed two separate times. The first was after a normal sleep cycle of 8 hours and then once after being deprived on sleep, which roughly equaled the volunteers receiving 5 hours of sleep total. None of the participants could wear makeup and had to have a neutral facial expression throughout all the photographs.

To fairly judge these photographs they had 65 untrained volunteers rate the photographs. The criteria used in the judging were attractiveness, tiredness, and healthy appearance.

Overall, the judges rated the sleep-deprived photographs of the individuals as much less attractive or healthy looking. Without an adequate amount of sleep it’s going to show on your face. The study also suggests that your amount of sleep each night actually affects how other people perceive you, and probably how they treat you based on your facial features and what they signal to others. Most women, including me, use makeup and other beauty products to help look more awake. It turns out the cure might to just get some beauty sleep. Not only does sleep make you look more beautiful, but there are numerous other health benefits too!

Sweet Dreams!