You’re staying up late to finish that report that’s due tomorrow, and you have to get up early to ensure that you make it on time. Since this is pretty normal for you, it’s safe to say that you have enough to worry about without having to be stressed out about whether or not your lack of sleep is making your acne worse!
There are a lot of myths out there about what causes acne, and it’s important to know what is true and what is fiction if you want to identify the real cause of your acne and treat it properly.
So let’s take a look at the evidence and try to figure out the answer: does lack of sleep cause acne?
Stress & Acne
The biggest link between lack of sleep and acne appears to be the stress that sleep deprivation causes.
Stress is a well known acne trigger for many people, and it’s often twice as bad for acne sufferers when the stress is caused by lack of sleep: Not only does the lack of sleep itself cause physical stress, but the reasons for your lack of sleep (school, work, etc.) are often themselves points of mental or emotional stress.
When the body is stressed, it is easier for the walls of your pores to become inflamed and the body responds with an increased amount of pus.
Something else that happens when the body is stressed is that it increases production of a hormone known as androgen, which is a known cause of acne, especially in women.
Sleep & Skin Rejuvenation
This topic is more debatable, but some experts claim that the healing and rejuvenation of the skin takes place primarily while you are asleep, and that depriving your body of sleep won’t allow acne breakouts to heal as quickly.
There is not much scientific research to support this idea, although experiments involving keeping rats awake indefinitely lead to the development of medical complications including skin lesions.
Other Factors To Consider
While not having to do with the amount of sleep you are getting, you should be aware that sleeping on a dirty pillowcase is a very common cause of mild acne. Consider changing your pillowcase more often, or placing a clean towel over your pillowcase when you go to bed each night.
Conclusion
It is reasonable to conclude that while sleep itself has no direct affect on acne breakouts, the stress a person can get (both physical and mental) will definitely make breakouts worse.
With that being said, it’s important to realize that sleep is probably only going to be a major contributing factor for mild acne. In you have severe or cystic acne than you will probably need to do more than alter your sleep schedule if you want to get rid of your acne, such as see a dermatologist and have it professionally treated.
