5 reasons you need your beauty sleep

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Shakespeare once dubbed death "eternal sleep." Perhaps that's why Joanne Ross says she would sooner die than endure another battle with sleep deprivation. Last spring, the 32-year-old Tsawwassen, B.C., resident became a daytime zombie when tenants in her rental home kept her awake with loud, all-night parties. It wasn't until the revellers moved out that she rediscovered rest and peace of mind, and regained her beauty sleep. "Being tired made me feel upset all the time," she says. "The first time I slept, I became myself again."

Sleep problems like Ross' (such as sleep deprivation and insomnia) are becoming as common as celebrity jail time -- but the fallout is more damaging. A recent study found that one in seven Canadians -- the majority of them women -- routinely gets less than 6.5 hours of beauty sleep a night and, as a result, is more likely to suffer from chronic health disorders. "Sleep is vital to our well-being," says Dr. Meir Kryger, chairman of the National Sleep Foundation in Washington, D.C., and a former director of the Sleep Disorders Centre in Winnipeg. His prescription? "If your life doesn't let you get enough sleep at night -- most people need seven or eight hours -- change your life." From fending off wrinkles to controlling your weight to improving your mood, here are five reasons why catching some shut-eye and becoming a sleeping beauty is just what the doctor ordered.

1. Pretty woman
They call it "beauty rest" for a reason: if your complexion looks dull, chances are you're not spending enough time in bed. "An unfortunate side effect of sleep debt is that it ages the skin more rapidly," says Dr. Lisa Kellett, a Toronto-based dermatologist. During "delta sleep" -- the deeper half of a two-stage sleep cycle that repeats itself throughout the night -- growth-hormone levels are at their peak, directing cells to repair damaged tissues, including skin. "Some of the damage that contributes to premature aging is repaired at this stage," says Kellett. But when you lose sleep, not only do you miss out on this regenerative period but your cortisol (stress-hormone) levels are boosted, which can make the skin look older. If that's not reason enough to hit the sack, consider this: "When you sleep, antioxidant repair of the skin occurs, which might reduce your risk of developing skin cancer," says Kellett.

2. Slim shady
If you want to shed pounds, don't skimp on slumber. University of Chicago researcher Dr. Eve Van Cauter has discovered that sleep deprivation stimulates appetite because it decreases the level of leptin (the "feel full" hormone) while increasing the level of ghrelin (the "feel hungry" hormone). Another study, by the University Hospitals of Cleveland, found that on average, people who sleep less than five hours a night are four times more likely to be overweight. The reason? People who get less sleep tend to be tired and therefore less active, so they may burn fewer calories.



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