28 replies to this topic

[EddieE]

I guess it would be best to rephrase.

My acne has subsided and when I say that, I mean I haven't broken out. I haven't changed my diet nor any other aspect. I learned early, that if you were going to truly test anything, it would have to be step by step.

Before I started sleeping regularly, I would probably still have gotten 7-8 hours of sleep. 2-10, 4-12 etc. Since I've been going to bed at 12pm or earlier, I wake up every morning like clock work. My face isn't near as oily as it used to be and no new pimples.

I honestly feel that if you add this to your regimen, it will only help.

I still haven't broken out and my red marks are continuing to fade.

I sleep 6-7hourss... I hate my job.... i work 3:30 pm to 1:00 am...

then sleep at 2 or 3 am and wake up at 9-10... My skin was 100% clear.. had no active acne
but i had red spot..

now i got active acne cause my skin GOT Dry.. Dang it.
once my skin isn't dry , Will get clear again but i need to be careful not to get it dry

I need a product similar to proactiv that doesn't make the skin DRY

[alternativista]

Another thread about sleep:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Skin-Isn-...21#entry3040721

This is from realage

Top 10 Foods for a Good Night's Sleep

1. Bananas -- They're practically a sleeping pill in a peel. In addition to a bit of soothing melatonin and serotonin, bananas contain magnesium, a muscle relaxant. Also perfect ratio of fructose to glucose ala the hibernation diet theory.
2. Chamomile tea -- Chamomile is a staple of bedtime tea blends because of its mild sedating effect, which makes it the perfect natural antidote for restless minds and bodies.
3. Warm milk -- It's not a myth. Milk has some tryptophan, an amino acid that has a sedative-like effect, and calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan. Plus, there's the psychological throwback to infancy, when a warm bottle meant "relax, everything's fine."
4. Honey -- Drizzle a little in your warm milk or herb tea. Lots of sugar is stimulating, but a little glucose tells your brain to turn off orexin, a recently discovered neurotransmitter that's linked to alertness.
5. Potatoes -- A small baked spud won't overwhelm your gastrointestinal tract as it clears away acids that can interfere with yawn-inducing tryptophan. To up the soothing effect, mash the potato with warm milk.
6. Oatmeal -- Oats are a rich source of sleep-inviting melatonin, and a small bowl of warm cereal with a splash of maple syrup is cozy -- and if you've got the munchies, it's filling, too.
7. Almonds -- A handful of these heart-healthy nuts can send you snoozing because they contain both tryptophan and a nice dose of muscle-relaxing magnesium.
8. Flaxseeds -- When life goes awry, and feeling down is keeping you up, try sprinkling 2 tablespoons of these healthy little seeds on your bedtime oatmeal. They're rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a natural mood lifter.
9. Whole-wheat bread -- A slice of toast with your tea and honey will release insulin, which helps tryptophan get to your brain, where it's converted to serotonin and quietly murmurs "time to sleep." But elsewhere, I've read that wheat doesn't have the right ratio of nutrients and so actually inhibits seratonin production. Of course, you need to have made your seratonin earlier in the day. On the other hand, there are plenty of other reasons to avoid wheat bread.
10. Turkey -- It's the best-known source of tryptophan, credited with all those Thanksgiving naps. But that's actually modern folklore. Tryptophan works when your stomach's basically empty rather than overstuffed and when there are some carbs around rather than tons of protein. But put a lean slice or two on some whole-wheat bread midevening and you've got one of the best sleep-inducers in your kitchen. Again, caution with the wheat bread. I'd say there are better options than wheat bread and turkey.

Edited by alternativista, 25 February 2011 - 05:55 PM.

[alternativista]

Wearing socks to bed can also help:

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/1999/09/01/sleep990901.html

And consider this from the Hibernation Diet, aka the honey diet:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Honey-Diet-t164895.html

Do it yourself, Dawn alarm clock:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Dawn-simulator-t185050.html

[MxPx123]

Actually what time you get to sleep makes an enormous difference. Your adrenals slow cortisol and adrenaline at night, namely between 10pm and 2am. The majority of physical healing that occours in your body is between 10pm and 2am if you realize it or not, every body is Hardwired to this circadian rhythm and you cant change it. Most people probly wouldnt notice this as extreme as I do but ive almost had addisons disease ( complete shut down of adrenals ) the past few years. If I sleep from 10p-2a ..just those 4 hours of sleep will make up for a weeks worth of going to bed at 1 and sleeping till noon for me. I know this because before I only had enough energy to hang out with friends once a week . Now I can go to bed at 10 ...wake up pretty early and feel the amount of energy I use to at the end of resting for a week, and getting to sleep late. My adrenals are finally healing.

The point about acne ... Ive had it since I was 13 and im 23 now. I have almost comeplete clear skin not constantly oily if I keep this routine. I use to break out with wheat and sugar hardcore and I can eat whatever I want now and still virtually no acne. Like a couple of you have said who would have thought about sleep ( or what time you sleep) making such a big diff? I wouldnt have either untill I tried it. And with less acne its way less stress which just makes everything better..it keeps compounding in a good way.

[databased]

every body is Hardwired to this circadian rhythm and you cant change it.

Sleep researchers regularly classify people into 2 or more categories based on them having fundamentally different circadian rhythms, so everyone is clearly not hardwired to the same rhythm. If we couldn't change our circadian rhythms, people would of course never recover from jet lag.

When I got acne, I got more when I slept more.

Absolutely believable. IMO, it is only the amount of melatonin stimulating cells to produce zinc superoxide dismutase that makes sleep relevant to acne. The amount of nightly melatonin can vary somewhat independently of the number of hours of sleep. For example, depressed people often sleep a large amount, but have abnormal melatonin cycles; they can wake up after 10 hours sleep and still feel completely exhausted instead of refreshed and wide awake.

[strato]

@ MxPx123


How does that make any sense? "Your adrenals slow cortisol and adrenaline at night, namely between 10pm and 2am"

I go to bed 4-5 am every day and wake 11-12. I've been living like this for a year now. I don't see anything wrong with it. My body just follows my routine, and it's kinda the same as going to bed early and waking up early. Isn't it?

[Mr. Crab]

I have had sleeping problems since I was pretty young and up until recently I have gotten better sleep. There were times when I could only sleep an hour or two on weekdays almost every day in the week. Sleep is definitely VERY important to everything in your body. I don't think I have noticed any difference in my face when I go to sleep at later or earlier times, but at the moment I am still going to bed around 11 PM which has been my usual time and just getting more sleep helps.

[greeneyes44]

Sleep has no impact on my acne at all. I am unemployed and sleep an average of 10-12 hours everyday and still break out. My acne is hormonal and can only be controlled by medication.

[sabina]

yeah i've noticed the same thing! especially because whenever my sleep rhythm is messed up i'm in a stressful period of my life my skin gets worse which affects me psychologically and i end up stressing more and more. Its an evil circle kinda thing really.. i don't know about others but for me sleeping enough and at the right time does help my skin a lot but its never managed to clear it up completely, it just helps a little but good anyway!