Expert reveals what four, six and eight hours of sleep does to your face

You might think that a bad night’s sleep does little more than make you feel slightly groggy the next day and in need of a second cup of coffee.

But in fact, clocking less than the recommended eight hours can actually be detrimental for your skin and overall health.

Sydney-based sleep expert Olivia Arezzolo recently conducted an experiment with FEMAIL to find out just what four, six and eight hours looks like – and the results might surprise you.

After eight hours, Olivia (pictured after eight hours) said she felt fresh, energised and ready to go – her pores were tighter and her fine lines were less apparent

AFTER EIGHT HOURS SLEEP

The Sleep Health Foundation recommends the average adult gets between seven and nine hours sleep per night.

But how did Olivia feel after a full eight hours?

‘I feel fresh, energised and ready to go – as you can probably tell,’ Olivia told Daily Mail Australia.

‘My pores appear tightened, my fine lines seem to have disappeared and the colour of my complexion is more consistent.’

Olivia said that throughout the day after sleeping eight hours, she felt ‘alert yet calm’ and less stressed than on some of the other days.

This marries with the sleep research – which found optimal sleep enables collagen synthesis.

‘This is responsible for cellular repair, strengthening the endothelium (skin) barrier and reducing signs of ageing, such as fine lines and wrinkles,’ Olivia said.

‘Basically, this means that for beauty, brains and mood, sleep is your not so secret to feeling and looking your absolute best.’

The sleep expert (pictured after six hours sleep) said she felt ‘more anxious and jumpy than usual’ after six hours of sleep – she said events during the day bothered her more than usual

AFTER SIX HOURS SLEEP

The following night, Olivia said she tried just six hours sleep – which had an interesting impact on her face.

‘Fortunately, my ideal sleep length is between seven and seven and a half hours, so six hours of shut-eye wasn’t that far off,’ Olivia said.

‘I did note that my skin appeared slightly duller than usual, and my eyes didn’t feel as clear either.’

Mentally, the sleep expert said she felt ‘more anxious and jumpy than usual’.

‘Events during the day bothered my more than usual too,’ she said.

Again, this tallies with the sleep research, which terrifyingly found that you are 45 per cent more likely to get wrinkles and fine lines if you sleep six hours rather than eight.

‘The same applies for spots. They are 13 per cent more likely if you only get six hours of sleep,’ she said.

‘The researchers also noted a 20 per cent drop in self esteem when you sleep for just six hours, and you might feel 33 per cent less attractive too.’

‘Looking in the mirror, my eyes are red, my skin is oilier than usual and newly-emerging spots tell me this is definitely not a good idea,’ Olivia (pictured after four hours sleep) said

AFTER FOUR HOURS SLEEP

Finally, Olivia said she spent the last night having just four hours of sleep.

‘Waking up, I feel groggy, exhausted and wired all at the same time – my body does not feel rested at all,’ Olivia said.

‘Looking in the mirror, my eyes are red, my skin is oilier than usual and newly-emerging spots tell me this is definitely not a good idea.

‘And the eye bags? They seemed a new shade of blue.’

According to research, anyone who sleeps less than five hours per night has a 30 per cent reduced recovery of their skin barrier.

‘This lessens smoothness and leads to lacklustre, lifeless skin,’ Olivia said.

‘Researchers also found that those sleeping five hours had more signs of intrinsic ageing, such as wrinkles – and they were less satisfied with their appearance.’

Finally, she said researchers found that people who have just one night of four hours sleep get a 37 per cent increase in the stress hormone cortisol.

This leads to feelings of anxiety, mood swings, depression and burnout.

‘This explains my bad mood,’ Olivia said.