Tia Roqaa, Founder, Roccabox
Roccabox’s ‘Perfect Night’s Sleep’ box goes on sale 1st February

How does skin work when we sleep? And why is it important to have a good night skincare routine?

When we’re asleep our skin goes into recovery mode, a time of intense repair and regeneration. Dermatologists consider the hours of 9 to 11pm to be the time when skin is at its most optimum for absorbing – making evenings such a prime opportunity to use your topical treatments. Throughout the night while your skin is warmer your skin is also more permeable, allowing it to absorb products more effectively. This is also the time when DNA repair is boosted. An effective nighttime skincare routine should create the perfect environment to allow all this to happen most effectively. The rise of melatonin, the ‘sleep hormone’ that occurs at night, also plays an important role in your skin’s repair: it helps to balance out the damage caused in the day by aggressors such as UV light, Blue Light and pollution. Finally, HGH – Human Growth Hormone – also kicks in overnight, and this helps to increase the skin’s cell regeneration process. A good quality and effective skincare routine works in two ways: it prepares your skin by creating the conditions that will allow it to optimise these processes. Secondly, a regular skincare ritual at night will help create a sense of calm, that our bodies start to associate with winding down and preparing for a good night’s sleep. Better still, a routine that incorporates some form of facial massage will really help to alleviate tension in the face and neck muscles and encourage a deeper sleep.

Order to use skincare at night?

Firstly, you need a thorough cleanse to detoxify the skin and remove traces of make-up, daytime products, SPF, environmental pollutants, grime – pretty much most of what has accumulated throughout the day. This will prepare the skin for the topical products that should come next: these could be retinol, to boost collagen production and support the cell renewal process; or glycolic acid if you’re looking to exfoliate and remove dead dull layers. These should be fairly light formulas: lightweight lotions or serums. Next you need to compensate for the moisture loss that occurs at night – your skin loses water overnight thanks to its increased temperature, which is why you’ll often notice skin is at its driest first thing on a morning. A hyaluronic acid will deeply hydrate to counteract this effect, although drier skin types will really benefit from a nourishing skin oil as well as or instead of. ‘Locking in’ these ingredients with a night cream or overnight mask will be the final step in your nightly routine. This should be your thickest formula of the routine.

What happens to skin, mood, body if we don’t get enough sleep?

I think we can all agree the effects of just one bad night’s sleep are pretty instant and noticeable on everything, from your complexion to your mood! If skin can’t go through its usual repair process due to interrupted sleep or a lack of sleep, and if this then happens on a regular basis, it will lead to an increase in fine lines and reduced elasticity. Skin starts to look dull and loses its glow and ‘bounce’. Cortisol levels in your body can then become dysregulated following a lack of sleep or poor quality sleep: which puts your body into a state of ‘stress’, where your blood

sugar levels struggle to stay balanced and you lack energy. Over time this can lead to increased appetite, weight gain etc, as well as poor mood, bad concentration etc.

What’s your bedtime routine to ensure you get a good night’s sleep? Any rituals, what do you recommend, skincare tips etc?

For me, avoiding my phone from 7pm is crucial. It’s not easy at all, but if I make sure it’s in another room it makes it easier. Avoiding the blue light from your phone screen is so important for allowing your body to fall into its natural sleep state. My aim this year is also to start setting a regular bed and wake time, as I can be guilty of lying in on a weekend or staying up too late bingeing on Netflix, and I do notice that regular sleep and wake-up time over time drastically improves my ability to fall asleep and rise naturally. My evening routine is really designed to encourage better sleep, so I indulge in a long hot soak, at least an hour before bedtime (your body needs to be able to cool down properly afterwards – this is what encourages sleep mode, not the heat, which people often incorrectly think!) and I will ideally elevate that bath with some bath salts or a bath oil that contain magnesium, to ease muscle tension and induce calm. At the moment I really love Skin and Tonic’s Bath Soak. I will burn my favorite Neom Sleep candle as I massage in Paul Yacomine’s really indulgent body oil. I find the whole process of massage so meditative. Next, on double-cleansed skin I’ll use my ‘nightime’ wardrobe of products: I switch between retinol, which my skin loves, and salicylic acid, if my skin is going through a hormonal outbreak, followed by a nourishing facial oil, as my skin can get particularly dry overnight. Finally, I like to spritz Feather & Down’s Pillow Spray – which contains a dreamy blend of calming ingredients – onto my bedding and whatever I’m wearing for bed. Only then do I feel truly ready to sleep!