The gist: Is it really admirable to lose sleep?

You’ve heard that you need your beauty sleep but let’s face it, we all stay out a little too late and run ourselves ragged with work and commitments. Being busy has oddly become a badge of honor or esteem in today's world. You hear people all the time bragging about they got 2 or 3 hours of sleep or pulled an all-nighter. Your friends seem to be burning the midnight oil but does that mean you can without any repercussions?

The controversy: Lack of sleep will affect your looks eventually

Sure you are young now ... but you want to stay looking and feeling that way as the years go on. Not getting enough shuteye on a regular basis does a whole lot more than make you look bad; the beauty changes that take place are rooted in how well your body is working. Sleep deprivation can cause:

• Extra stress hormones can result in worsening acne and psoriasis
• Poor water balance in the body causes you to retain more water resulting in puffy and baggy eyes
• An increase in inflammatory cells reduces collagen
• An off-kilter immune system means you may get sick more, and be more susceptible to viruses, autoimmune disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes
• You may age quicker because only in deep sleep are damaged skin cells repaired
• Weight gain, you’ll feel hungrier, snack more, and consume a higher number of  calories
• Decreased mental health because sleep deprivation can cause an inability to deal with frustration as well as forgetfulness, irritability, and depression.

Our take: It’s not worth it

A late-night here and there is inevitable by when it becomes a habit, you may not even realize the subtle differences in your body. Your complexion and skin may already be suffering and you may notice a definite (and unusual) sluggishness throughout the day. The good news is that there is still time to transform your habits. 

To sum it up: Be proactive with sleep

Setting sleep standards for yourself now will help you avoid health problems later in life and that is what is most important. The positive beauty side effects are just the icing on the cake.

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