Almost a third of your whole life is spent asleep. Every night you close your eyes, become oblivious to your surroundings and waste hours flying, being chased or watching all your teeth fall out – and then you wake up. 

While you can reel off the impact of a shuteye shortage on one hand (irritability, shoddy concentration, and the urge to devour anything sugary to name a few), there's one other impact you should be aware of: the knock-on effect on your skin.

When it comes to your beauty routine, sleep may be the closest thing to a fountain of youth.

“The value of sleep with regard to beauty is that it gives your skin time to rebuild itself,” said Montagne Jeunesse’s Head of Labs, David English. “All day, your skin is a barrier that protects you from light, pollution, germs, dryness, wetness and more. When you sleep, your skin has a chance to regenerate and get ready for tomorrow.”

In the twenty-first century, we increasingly push our daily routines into the night, carrying out work, exercise and our social lives long after dark. But we have forgotten that our bodies are governed by a 24-hour biological clock which guides us towards the best time to sleep, eat, and think.

The skin knows what it needs to do; obstacles need to be removed including bad nutrition, a build-up of metabolic waste, and emotional pressure in the muscles and skin tissue, leading to stagnation and a lack of vitality.

Our mission through Earth Kiss has been to reject harmful, outdated beauty norms and foster a sense of worth via wellness-minded self-exploration. We view beauty as how we feel – rather than look – when we nurture and trust our relationship with ourselves.

The Earth Kiss Inspirations Hydrating Organic Bamboo Sheet Face Mask with Shilajit and Miracle Clay is an express train to a radiant complexion and a luminescent glow!

Traditionally used for thousands of years as an analgesic to relieve pain and injuries, the high salicylic content of willow tree bark acts as a potent antidote to the pain, swelling and redness associated with skin sensitivity. A natural exfoliant that is used in many treatments to promote pore-clearing and the shedding of dead skin cells, the natural hydroxy acids in willow bark combine with mineral-rich salts from the Dead Sea and the Ayurvedic wonder resin, Shilajit, to help unclog pores and smooth the appearance of fine lines, all while hydrating the skin.

Everything to do with our health is influenced by our circadian rhythms and sleep: physical and mental health, immune functioning, disease, fertility, relationships, energy, emotions, mood, work life, family life and happiness. 

After a long day of fighting off UV rays, pollution, sweat and grime, your skin is desperate for some downtime.

"While we’re sleeping, our skin switches into recovery mode, and it’s an important time of repair and regeneration", added English. "The regeneration process at night can be up to three times faster than during the day.

“Sleep is our natural way to repair and recharge; a good night's sleep gives us the energy to perform at our best the following day.”

But drifting off into slumber isn't all the peaceful dreaming and R&R it's cracked up to be. Despite appearances, sleep is a highly active phase of our lives involving a complex mix of repeated cycles of sleep stages, biological processes, and chemical reactions impacting every cell in our body.

“Incredibly, some areas of the brain are more active when we sleep than during the day,” said English. “It starts with understanding the discrepancies in our skin during the day versus at night. Skin is a dynamic organ and provides an interface between the body and the external environment; what our skin endures during the day differs greatly from what it faces at night.

“The nightly renewal process is when you will get the most benefits from your anti-ageing ingredients, and using the right products is imperative for ensuring the renewal process is aided,” says Sam. "Before bedtime, you should apply ingredients such as retinol and glycolic acid, as these will absorb into the skin and do all the work for you overnight.”

We believe that skincare is a perfect place to start improving your well-being, and you can now nourish your skin and nurture your soul with bespoke sounds courtesy of our Earth Kiss Experience app to Mask ‘n’ Meditate. Why not set aside a 30-minute block to pamper yourself and soak up all the stress-relieving goodness of our Earth Kiss Super Naturals Purifying Kombucha and Shiitake Sheet Mask?

Shiitake mushrooms have long been regarded as a symbol of youth and longevity in Chinese medicine. Packed with vitamins and minerals such as B6, B12, D, pantothenic acid, folate, niacin, choline, copper, zinc, manganese and selenium, all of which play an essential role in maintaining the integrity of your skin, the shiitake mushroom provides a rich source of kojic acid, which helps reduce the appearance of blotches and unwanted facial marks. When restoring balance to stressed or thirsty skin, our Kombucha and Shiitake Purifying Sheet Mask could make a noticeable improvement in the appearance of your complexion.

Collagen is key for keeping the skin plump and smooth. And while some creams claim to boost its production, you can't bottle what sleep does for you.

Sleep isn't just a stress reliever for your mind, body, and soul. By ensuring you get eight hours of sleep per night, you'll also limit your cortisol levels, and your skin will be able to breathe and have some downtime against daily environmental factors.

So, put down the phone and give your skin a good eight-hour break. Keep a regular sleep and wake time, avoid the glare of blue light from tech in the hours before bed, create a wind-down routine...you know the drill.