Our results, based on a large-scale, multi-center epidemiological study, revealed that midday napping was positively associated with higher levels of successful aging. Stronger associations were observed in male midday nappers compared to females, in non-tea drinkers, but also among coffee drinkers.
Naps boost your immune system
Along with helping our body fight disease, the health benefits of napping extend to skin and tissue regeneration, helping us look younger, according to Mednick.
Your body boosts blood flow to the skin while you snooze, which means you wake to a healthy glow. Skimp on sleep and your complexion can look drab, ashen, or lifeless. “Sleep deprivation causes a decrease in blood flow to the skin surrounding your face,” Breus says.
Renew Cells
Just a 20 minute nap is enough to help your skin regenerate new cells. This will in turn help your skin look brighter and a more even skin tone.
During the day as you're upright, the dermal fluid moves towards your legs, but overnight, when your body is horizontal during sleep, dermal fluid settles back. This swells up your facial skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, like pumping water back into a raisin or rehydrating a shriveled, dried sponge.
And as you sleep your body increases blood flow to the skin too. Transporting essential nutrients to skin cells and giving you a healthy glowing complexion when you wake up.
Research has proven that a good night's sleep makes you look healthier, happier, and–yes–more attractive. “Beauty Sleep” isn't just a silly cliché–it is backed up by solid evidence.
Apply Products 15-20 Minutes Before Bed
Sleep has multiple benefits that go a long way in improving your skin and hair. Sleeping well and enough is also good for your overall health as it aids the transfer of nutrients in the body and reduces stress levels.
How many hours is beauty sleep? Seven to nine quality hours of sleep per night is ideal for “beauty sleep.” If you regularly get less than six hours of sleep, you may start to see some side effects on your skin.
"In addition to reducing sleepiness, naps have been shown to improve memory in the laboratory setting," says Dr. Suzanne Bertisch, an Associate Physician and Clinical Director of Behavioral Sleep Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.
A long nap, such as two hours per day, could indicate sleep deprivation or another sleep disorder, which may need a doctor's consultation.
Reduced fatigue. Increased alertness. Improved mood. Improved performance, including quicker reaction time and better memory.
Sleeping beyond the 90-minute cycle may mean you fall deeper into your sleep cycle and will find it much harder to wake up. The best answer to this question is that some sleep is always better than none. Trying to get in a power nap or achieving that full 90-minute cycle is better for you than no sleep at all.
In general, the best nap length for adults is about 20 minutes and no longer than 30 minutes. Sleeping for 20 minutes allows the napper to get a bit of light sleep to boost alertness without entering into deep sleep. Waking up from deep sleep can cause grogginess and actually worsen sleepiness.
Results show that the faces of sleep-deprived individuals were perceived as having more hanging eyelids, redder eyes, more swollen eyes and darker circles under the eyes. Sleep deprivation also was associated with paler skin, more wrinkles or fine lines, and more droopy corners of the mouth.
Regardless, people during the nighttime hours were significantly more likely to rate themselves as more attractive compared to those during the afternoon and evening hours. However, there were no significant differences between those responding during afternoon versus evening hours.
"Beauty sleep" is real. Your skin uses sleep hours to heal itself from the day's damage. When you drift off, your skin gets the chance to improve. That's why you may wake up looking fresh and rosy.
Waking early makes you look more attractive: Waking up early can help you improve appearance. Sleeping and waking late can make you feel and look more tired. Also, less sleep brings puffiness and dark circles around the eyes. According to the research, people who sleep and wake up early look fresh and beautiful.
Do you ever feel your skin looks better in the morning? The reason is often attributed to the fact that your skin gets thicker in the morning, as it prepares to protect against stressors throughout the day. And yet, even at its thickest point, our skin is less than a tenth of an inch thick.
You may be using unnecessary products. "Some people may just not be genetically predisposed to breakouts or may produce less [oil],” says Batra. If that sounds like you, you may actually find your skin looks better when you ditch your cleanser.