Beauty sleep trends to try and those to avoid, from mouth taping to essential oils to sleeping on your back

The rise of self-care has made many people more conscious of their lifestyle choices, including proper sleep. However, not all aspects of sleep impact our skin the same way. Most people know that the quality and duration of your sleep can influence your skin’s health. According to US charity the National Sleep Foundation, adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep a night. If you consistently fall short of this, it can manifest in the health of your skin. But it is not just the duration of sleep that matters. Experts in the fields of sleep and skincare describe to the Post the missteps you might unknowingly be making while you slumber, and current beauty trends. Make the most of ‘beauty sleep’ Everyone has a favoured sleeping position and relies on getting into it for a good night’s rest. Depending on your sleeping style, overnight folds and premature wrinkles can become apparent over time. How good sleep benefits heart health, and 5 tips for a better night’s rest “If you sleep on your side or your stomach, it’s likely that your face is pressed against the pillow, which can pull down on your face and contribute to sagging skin,” says Dr Dev Patel, a UK-based doctor at Perfect Skin Solutions and founder of CellDerma skincare. “Since we spend a third of our lifetime asleep, these folds can become repeatedly reinforced into your skin over time, causing vertical wrinkles.” To avoid this, Patel recommends people train themselves to sleep on their backs. Regularly washing bedsheets and pillowcases is another important habit to adopt, as sleeping on unclean fabrics can lead to acne and breakouts. “Some fabrics, like cotton, are more absorbent than others and hold in grime, sweat, and debris which you may be sleeping on every night,” Patel explains. Ensure you wash your bedding once a week to avoid breakouts on your face and body. Patel recommends a silk pillowcase, as they are naturally hypoallergenic and less irritating because they produce less mechanical friction against the skin. Is your room too warm? Sleeping in a hot room can cause your body temperature to rise, which can lead to sweating and dehydration. Sweating can help cool your skin, but if you sweat too much it can lead to dryness. Patel advises using a gentle cleanser in the morning after sleeping and again before bedtime to remove any make-up and dirt. The most common mistake we make is sleeping with make-up on, without knowing its consequences. “Not removing make-up before bed can result in a variety of skin problems, including acne, dry skin, irritation, eye infections and premature ageing. “To avoid these problems, it is important to remove your make-up thoroughly before bed using a gentle cleanser and paying special attention to the areas around your eyes and lips,” Patel says. What to adopt – and avoid People are quick to follow trends they see on social media these days, but sometimes all we need to know is the basics. Dr Shelby Harris, a New York-based clinical psychologist who treats a wide variety of sleep disorders, notes that sleeping seven to eight hours according to a regular schedule, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, and creating a relaxing bedtime routine are some simple rules to follow. Nighttime skincare can be a key part of that routine. Harris notes that retinoids, touted for their anti-ageing benefits, “are helpful to add to your regime as they help improve skin texture, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and promote collagen production”. Overnight masks, popularised by Korean skincare, can also help hydrate the skin during sleep. “Depending on the ingredients list, these overnight masks can be beneficial for increasing skin moisture levels and achieving a radiant complexion,” Harris says. However, she advises consulting a dermatologist before adding overnight masks into your routine, to see if it will be beneficial for your skin type or cause an allergic reaction. Stubborn belly fat? It might be because you don’t get enough sleep In recent months, the trend of mouth taping – placing a piece of soft tape across your closed lips at bedtime – has gained traction on TikTok. “There’s not enough evidence to suggest that mouth taping has any real benefits when it comes to sleep,” says Dr Allison Leer, a dermatologist and co-founder at Unity Skincare in Texas. It is not something she would recommend to anyone who is using it as a way to reduce snoring or mouth breathing. “Mouth taping can be dangerous for those with sleep apnoea [a sleep disorder that causes you to stop breathing] and can make it more difficult to breathe properly throughout the night,” she adds. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shea Morrison (@sheamorrison_) There are also hydrocolloid patches – typically used for acne – that brands market as anti-ageing tools. They claim that sticking a patch over a wrinkle-prone area like the forehead or smile lines reduces wrinkles and increases hydration through ingredients like hyaluronic acid. Leer suggests using an anti-ageing cream or serum instead, noting that she has not seen much research indicating that these patches are more effective than traditional skincare. She recommends using hydrocolloid patches solely for pimples. Meanwhile, some skincare brands offer products with sleep-inducing aromatherapy benefits. They infuse calming essential oils, such as lavender, into these products on the basis that they help people relax better and fall asleep faster. However, essential oils are highly concentrated extracts derived from plants, and their chemical compounds can be irritating to the skin, exacerbating redness, inflammation and sensitivity, Leer says. Contact dermatitis caused by fragrance, which affects between eight to 15 per cent of the population, can manifest as hyperpigmentation that can last for years, especially for people of colour. Instead of using essential-oil-infused skincare, Leer recommends lighting a scented candle and blowing it out 15 minutes before bedtime. Using copper-infused bedding is another trend. Proponents claim that copper has positive cosmetic effects, such as improving skin elasticity, wound healing and reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Again, this is not backed by any scientific evidence. “As well as being an expensive bedding option, copper is primarily absorbed through dietary sources (not copper-infused fabrics), so the positive effects on your skin are minimal,” Patel says. “Over time, copper bedding is likely to oxidise too, making it even less likely to deliver any benefit to the skin.” It is important to be sceptical of any sleep-related trends or sleep methods that claim to be miracle cures for skin problems. “There is no magic solution for good skin, and the best way to achieve healthy skin is to get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet and use gentle skincare products,” Harris concludes.