Why “Beauty Sleep” Is More Than a Myth
As I get older, I realize the importance of beauty sleep immediately when I wake up and look right under my eyes. When I don’t get good sleep and neglect my routine, I look puffy and dull. When I leave the house, I immediately tell people, “I didn’t sleep well last night!” before anyone can tell me that I look tired, but when I do take the time to execute my beauty routine I wake up with confidence and put my best face forward.
Fortunately for me and everyone else, waking up looking and feeling more rested is now in our control. The year is 2025 and we have all the science and tools available to us to curate the perfect anti-aging evening routine. If we are intentional, we can think of bed time as the best beauty hack and get the most out of our slumber.
Set the Stage: Your Evening Wind-Down
To start off, bed time is no longer a bad thing and you should look forward to your bedtime ritual. Intentionally winding down signals to your skin, your hormones, and your nervous system that it’s time to shift into repair mode. It’s been shown that looking at your phone before bed can delay melatonin production, and although we love scrolling TikTok, there are better ways to wind down.
You can start by dimming the lights an hour before bed and creating a spa-like environment with lush bedding and your favorite pajama set. Soft, warm light signals to your internal clock that rest is coming and having a routine you look forward to can increase the chances of sticking to the same bedtime each evening.
A study of 72,269 people titled "Irregular sleep pattern raises risk of stroke and heart attack, study finds" showed that those with irregular sleep schedules had a 26% higher risk of major cardiovascular events, even when getting 7–9 hours of sleep. And when your cardiovascular system is stressed, your body diverts resources away from those non-essential reparative functions that aid in how we look. Take this as an excuse to buy a new fancy duvet and make sure to get to bed at the same time every night.
Supplements & Skincare for Overnight Repair
During your wind-down is a great time to include supplements and skincare. While skincare can be complex, there are two non negotiable's for anti-aging and wrinkle reduction: retinol and collagen.
There’s solid scientific proof that retinol (tretinoin) and collagen peptides deliver. A randomized clinical trial published in PubMed, found that applying 0.4% retinol cream to naturally aged skin visibly reduced fine wrinkles and increased pro-collagen and glycosaminoglycans, both key to plump, hydrated skin. Although nothing is more annoying than setting aside the time to actually go to the doctors office to get a prescription, this one is definitely worth it.
Meanwhile, ingesting hydrolyzed collagen peptides isn’t just something influencers add to their coffee in those cringe “get ready with me” videos — it actually works. A meta-analysis shows that collagen supplements improve skin hydration and elasticity. In one study of nearly 100 women aged 35–50, 12 weeks of daily collagen peptide use increased water content in the skin, lowered water loss, and boosted natural moisturizers in the outer layer. Collagen is a great addition to a nightly tea that can be used to wind down- I recommend dandelion tea or spearmint tea for even more beauty benefits.
And although retinol and collagen are the power players, you can also include magnesium, known as the “relaxation mineral,” to help support deeper sleep quality.
Devices to Aid Beauty Sleep
There are also a few tools that can make your nighttime routine work harder for you, including mouth taping, wearing an anti-wrinkle sleep bra, and using a silk pillow.
Mouth taping is great for beauty sleep because it supports deeper, more restorative rest and encourages the tongue to sit against the roof of the mouth. Keeping this position influences the way the jaw and lower face are shaped. It’s essentially like “mewing” all night, and it will define the jawline and prevent a double chin over time. You can get mouth tape on Amazon.
It’s also essential to protect the delicate skin on your décolleté during sleep. Many women find they wake up with chest wrinkles etched in from the effects of side sleeping. You can purchase silicone chest patches like "frownies" or "Sio Beauty" but the tape is often irritating to the skin. YoungerBod is an anti-wrinkle bra with integrated silicone that supports the skin and prevents chest wrinkles without the irritation. The bra keeps everything secure while the silicone gently grips the skin to avoid creasing. The SmoothChest Bra, Sleep Bra to Prevent Chest Wrinkles is an easy addition and can be worn every night under pajamas.
Finally, a simple switch that makes a visible difference is using silk. Unlike cotton, silk glides against your skin and hair, minimizing tugging, frizz, and damage. One silk pillowcase we recommend is Clementine sleepwear's organic silk pillowcase.
Getting Enough Actual Sleep
Once your lights are dimmed, your retinol is applied, and your chest-smoothing sleep bra is on, how much sleep you actually get becomes vitally important.
Verywell Health found that the magic number is 7–8 hours of sleep per night, which is linked to nearly a 20% increase in healthy aging (physical, emotional, and cognitive). This isn’t surprising, because so much happens while you sleep, including growth hormone release that supports collagen and elastin formation, plus DNA and UV damage repair.
Poor sleep, on the other hand, is linked to higher TEWL (transepidermal water loss), which weakens the skin barrier, and to higher cortisol, which promotes inflammation and harms your existing collagen. If we want our bodies to repair and be at their best, we actually need to be getting enough sleep.
In Conclusion
At the end of the day, when your body is supported by good habits, smart skincare, and the right nighttime rituals, sleep becomes a form of daily renewal. It is something that you have in your control to set the tone for every evening and every morning that follows. Doing things to set yourself up for success makes you wake up brighter, more confident, and better equipped to take on the day.