Transcription
If you're someone who's also a side sleeper, you must understand what I mean when I say that I struggle with face asymmetry. But that connection led me to think, well, what other sleep habits can I change or begin to incorporate to improve the way that I look?
Welcome back to our globe channel. Today, we will be exploring sleep hacks that can literally change your face and improve the way that you look. To make it more organized, these tips will be sectioned into categories for your reference, starting with sleep position.
Tip number one, sleep on your back. If you ever took a nap on your arm and you wake up with the imprint of your entire sweater on your face, even if it was just from a 10-minute nap, imagine the effects of sleeping on your side or stomach with your face pressed into your pillow for 7 to 9 hours every single night over a span of couple of years. The constant pressure creates sleep lines that over time can literally turn into permanent wrinkles. Studies actually show that side sleepers develop more wrinkles on the side they sleep on compared to people who sleep on their backs. But beyond wrinkles, when you sleep on your side, you're compressing one side of your face more than the other, which creates face asymmetry over time where one side looks slightly different. Some people get facial massages to help reduce that asymmetry, but it's a very painful process. And so, if your pain tolerance is not up for a test, sleep on your back.
If you're not used to it, use pillows on either side to keep yourself from rolling over. There's also specialty pillows that forces your head into a single position. Some people put a pillow under their knee for lower back support if that is one of the reasons why you avoid sleeping on your back. You'll notice less puffiness and fewer pillow marks immediately. And within a few months, you'll notice your face will be significantly more symmetrical.
And tip number two, elevated sleeping, which helps reduces your under-eye bags and facial puffiness. I'm sure almost everyone sleeps with a pillow, but if you don't, this is why you may want to start. When you sleep completely flat, fluid accumulates in your face overnight because of gravity and your lymphatic system, which is responsible for draining excess liquid, it slows down when you're sleeping. And so, having your head elevated, it helps the process. But when you're laying completely flat, it makes it harder for the fluid to drain from your face. This is why you wake up with puffy eyes, a puffy face, and sometimes even a less defined jawline in the morning. Adding a pillow, maybe even an extra one, to sleep with your head elevated can add a small incline that can make a huge difference.
Category number two is breathing. With our first tip in this category, breathing through your nose rather than breathing through your mouth. Because how you breathe while you sleep actually does affect your facial structure over time because it changes how your face develops. Studies show that people who breathe through their mouth get associated with what's called an adenoid face, which features a longer, narrower face with a recessed chin and significantly less defined features. Let's do a quick exercise. Take a breath through your nose and then another through your mouth. Notice that when you're breathing through your mouth, your tongue sits low on your mouth. However, when you breathe through your nose, your tongue is pressed against your palate or the roof of your mouth. That pressure is what actually helps develop your upper jaw and maintain proper facial structures. Without it, your face can literally develop differently. And so, to improve your looks, focus on nasal breathing.
This can definitely be easier to do when you're awake and conscious, but how do we do that when you're sleeping? Something like mouth taping can be worthwhile to consider. It's exactly what it sounds like. You literally tape your mouth shut while you sleep to force yourself to breathe through your nose. It's actually become quite popular in biohacking circles because it works. When your mouth is taped, you're literally forced to breathe through your nose all night. But if you struggle to breathe through your nose, maybe you have allergies, congestion, something like a nasal strip can really help open up your airways, at least temporarily, to help you sleep.
Our next category covers sleep quality, timing, and duration. With our first tip, trying to sleep 7 to 9 hours minimum. There are actual studies where researchers photographed people after a normal night's sleep and then after sleep deprivation and showed these photos to observers. The people who were sleep deprived were consistently rated as less attractive, less healthy, and overall, obviously, more tired-looking. When you are sleep deprived, it shows up on your face in very specific ways. Your skin doesn't repair itself properly, so it makes your skin look more dull. Blood flow to your face decreases, so you lose that healthy flush. Fluid doesn't drain properly, and so you will wake up more puffy. And your body produces more cortisol, the stress hormone, which usually shows up in the form of inflammation and facial bloating. Studies also show that chronic poor sleep is linked to increased signs of skin aging, so more fine lines, uneven pigmentation, and reduced skin elasticity. Your body is repairing your skin while you're sleeping, and so when you're not sleeping enough, that repair doesn't happen. And so, aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep every single night. People who do get consistent sleep in this range are rated as more attractive and look measurably younger than people who don't. And so, no matter how busy you are, remember that your rest is just as important.
Tip number two, prioritize sleep quality and timing, and not just duration, because you can sleep for 8 hours and still wake up looking terrible if the quality is bad. Deep sleep is when your body releases growth hormone, which is essential for skin repair and helping you produce collagen, which keeps you looking young and youthful, which is what we want. But if you're not getting enough deep sleep, your face literally isn't rebuilding itself properly. But here's what most people don't know. When you sleep matters just as much as how long you sleep. I'm such a night owl, but as I've gotten older, I've really started noticing the effects. If I sleep late just for one night, the next morning my face is puffier and my pores just look noticeably larger. Even if I had the same exact skin-care routine the morning of and the night before. And when I put on makeup as I'm getting ready, it just looks so much cakeier on my face even though I'm using the same exact products. If I slept late for a few nights in a row, I would literally start breaking out. And so, one of the best skin-cares that I've ever invested in was simply forcing myself to sleep earlier and having a better bedtime routine. Because sleeping from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. benefits your skin more than sleeping from 2:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. even though, technically, you are both getting 8 hours of sleep. And here's why. When you're out during the day, your skin accumulates sun damage, right? All that repair gets done in the evening. Your skin cell starts building new cells in the afternoon and divide to create fresh skin around 11:30 p.m. And so, what that means is that your skin is literally biologically programmed to repair itself during these specific hours. And so, if you miss that window, that work simply doesn't get done. People who have good sleep, they get 30% better recovery from sun damage compared to people who don't have good sleeping habits, simply because their skin is able to fix itself better. And so, aim for a bedtime around 10:00 to 11:00 p.m. when possible. This will help you optimize your bedtime schedule. And to help you optimize on the quality of your sleep, try to keep your room dark and cool. Avoid screen time an hour before bed. Skip alcohol close to bedtime. I know some people drink it because it helps them fall asleep faster, but it can really help ruin your sleep quality. Within a week, you'll see better skin, less puffiness, more tone, and clear skin.
And our final category, which covers sleep environment and materials. With tip number one, using silk or satin pillowcases to help reduce wrinkles and hair damage. Regular cotton pillowcases may be a great natural material, but it can also create friction against your hair and skin all night. One study tracked people using copper oxide pillowcases, which have a smooth, low-friction surface, and found a significant reduction in crow's feet wrinkle depth after just 8 weeks compared to regular pillowcases. Silk and satin works that same exact way. The smooth surface means your skin glides instead of catching and creasing. And less friction means fewer wrinkles forming overnight and less mechanical stress on your skin. All of that is to say that there is real benefits to switching to a silk or satin pillowcase. Real silk is best, but satin works, too, and is significantly more affordable. You'll notice fewer pillow marks on your face immediately when you wake up.
Tip number two, optimize your room temperature for facial puffiness. When you wake up in a room that's too warm, your body retains more water, which makes you wake up looking puffier. Heat also increases blood flow to your skin in a way that can make you look more flush. Think of when you're going to a sauna session, you come out with your cheeks looking warm and more flushed. But when you're sleeping in these warmer conditions for 8 hours a night, it can really increase that redness and cause morning puffiness. Studies on sleep temperatures actually show that cooler rooms can help improve sleep quality, which as we talked about, directly affects how your face looks. But beyond that, a cooler environment helps with lymphatic drainage and reduces the fluid retention that causes that puffy, swollen look in the morning.
Tip number three, optimizing darkness for melatonin. If you don't have blackout curtains, it's something worth exploring because not only does it help you get better sleep, light exposure at night, it suppresses melatonin production, the hormone that actually signals your body that it's time to sleep and triggers your skin's repair process. This isn't just about blocking light outside, I'm also speaking to those who love their LED lights. And so, that complete darkness can really help improve sleep quality, as well as support your body's natural repair processes.
And tip number four, using a humidifier for skin hydration overnight. Dry air while you sleep dehydrates your skin from the outside. And when you consistently sleep in dry air for 8 hours every night for an extended period of time, your skin loses significant hydration, which affects how plump and how healthy it looks. And so, adding a humidifier in your bedroom can make a world of a difference if you have dry skin, and especially during drier seasons when the heater is on blast.
We covered a lot of sleep hacks that can literally change how your face looks. Some of these you'll see results immediately, but others might take a bit longer. But, regardless, they will all work towards improving your looks. Everyone talks about the best skin care routine, but sleep is something that many overlook, but not you. Not anymore. You deserve to look the hottest that you can, and so I hope that this video was helpful. That's it for today. I hope to see you in our next episode, and in the meantime, as always, stay hot. Bye.