The health of your skin is a reflection of your lifestyle. Aside from a few innate or hereditary skin attributes, your skin is to a great extent controlled by your habits and lifestyle decisions. Blemish free skin, which is radiant and supple, is everybody’s dream; however, certain lifestyle habits can affect your skin. Sleep is one of them. We all know that the mandatory eight hours of sleep is non-negotiable for good skin health. It is whilst you are asleep that your skin re-establishes itself, rebuilds elasticity, and fends off free radicals that may have amassed on the skin surface during the day. While sleep is essential to your skin and general wellbeing, the manner in which you sleep also plays an integral role in the health of your skin—especially facial skin and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

The wrong sleeping positions can negatively affect the skin in several ways. The most common signs of sleeping in a wrong position are often visible signs such as skin acne, puffy eyes, dark circles, a flatter cheek on one side and the formation of wrinkles. A study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal demonstrates that sheer forces, compression, and tension applied to the face whiles asleep cause facial distortion when individuals rest on their stomach and sides, prompting to the formation of sleep wrinkles over time. Most sleep wrinkles can be seen on the forehead, cheeks, and lips. These wrinkles are additionally impacted by the amount of time spent in various positions. Read on to find out how sleeping positions can affect your skin and to find out the right way to sleep for a healthy and youthful face.

Sleeping on your stomach is the worstMany of us love to sleep on our stomach, but it’s the worst way to sleep as far as our facial skin is concerned.  The skin needs to breathe even when we sleep. This position pushes the entire face into the pillow, which obstructs the skin’s follicles which in turn can cause skin break out/acne, clogged pores, and fine lines. Due to the reduced circulation of blood and body fluid that our skin gets in this position, the pressure can lead to puffy eyes, under-eye bags, flattened facial skin and wrinkles.

Sleeping on your side is equally bad While this position definitely causes less damage to the skin than the stomach position, it comes with its own negative effects. When you sleep on your side, you put pressure on one side. Moreover, if you have applied any skincare product or cream it may spread on the pillow and not get absorbed by your skin. In extreme cases, sleeping on your side can result in facial asymmetry, as years of sleeping on one side of your face can develop unevenness in the texture or volume of your face.

It’s ideal to sleep on your back — Sleeping on your back is the best way to sleep. Keeping up the 20-30° angle permits better fluid flow in the body. It also prevents any wrinkles in the face and neck as it hinders the skin from getting ‘folded’ by patterned linen and pillows, which can help keep your skin looking smooth. It furthermore prevents any chance of facial asymmetry. Sleeping on your back allows your whole body to relax, which decreases irritation or inflammation permitting better outcomes for cell turnover in the face—which is your skin’s way of disposing of dead skin cells to account for new cells to develop.

The pillow you use mattersWhile we may consciously start by sleeping on our back, it is natural to turn to our sides as we sink into a deeper sleep. This, however, pushes the face into the pillowcases, which will have some amounts of bacteria or even the earlier rubbed-off night creams that you may have used on your face. Sadly, exposure to this can cause zits or rashes. To avoid this, it is best to launder pillowcases regularly with a hypoallergenic detergent. Additionally, it is good to invest in a skin-friendly pillow. While silk or satin-textured pillow limits skin irritation and pressure, copper-oxide pillowcases help reduce crow’s feet (little lines spreading out from the corners of the eyes) and other fine lines.

Get confident and glowing skin with a healthy sleep pattern

 A good night’s rest is the key to not just good health and wellbeing but optimal skin health as well. Help your body in its efforts to rebuild collagen, repair damage from UV exposure, and restore elasticity by choosing the right position to sleep in.

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– By Kaya’s Expert Dermatologists

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