The Surprising, Sneaky Reason You Might Have A Hard Time Falling Asleep

A night of poor sleep can easily show up on your skin. Dark circles, breakouts, inflammation, and a dull, sallow complexion can all betray a lack of shut-eye. Beauty sleep, we know, is very much real. 

But the sleep-skin connection is not a one-way street. In fact, new research demonstrates it the other way around, with skin issues themselves actually leading to poor sleep. Here, the telltale signs your complexion may impact your sleep quality.  

The study, which was presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2023, measured data from over 50,000 adults across 20 countries and found that almost half (42%) of participants with skin disease experience sleep disturbances. It seems itching, burning, and tingling sensations impacted sleep the most.

In addition to sleep disturbances, researchers discovered the following in folks who struggle with skin disease: 

And “skin disease” casts a rather wide net—any inflammatory condition is technically a skin disease, including eczema, psoriasis, and even acne. 

According to board-certified holistic dermatologist Noreen Galaria, M.D., FAAD, it’s the itchy conditions (think eczema and psoriasis) that may impact sleep the most. “The itch is more prominent at night as your body cools down for sleep,” she tells mindbodygreen. “This means as people are trying to fall asleep, heat is escaping through our skin to cool us down and make us ready for bed.” And heat is a common trigger for inflammatory skin conditions, which can increase itchiness. 

“This, in turn, increases scratching right when patients are trying to wind down and relax, which creates a vicious cycle of trouble falling asleep,” she adds. After all, feeling anxious about falling asleep often keeps you up even later. 

“Inflammatory conditions, like eczema and psoriasis, are the ones that affect sleep the most because of the way they affect your cortisol levels,” Galaria shares. And high cortisol levels can cause you to toss and turn all night and feel tired again the next day. “It is truly a cycle,” she notes. 

For itchy skin conditions, identifying your triggers (which differ for everyone) is key. From there, keep your skin barrier strong and healthy with moisturizing, lipid-rich ingredients—think ceramides, squalane, fatty acids, etc. Galaria also recommends investing in a humidifier, since a dry environment can damage the moisture barrier and lead to itchiness and irritation. (Find our favorite options here.)

Finally, “It’s important for these people to have a strong bedtime routine to help regulate their circadian rhythm,” Galaria notes. Start your wind down regimen at least 30 minutes before hitting the hay: Dim the lights, read while wearing blue light blocking glasses, take a warm bath, pop a natural sleep aid… you have plenty of options. (More here!)