n the movies, the heroine always wakes up looking perfectly refreshed and gorgeous. Sure, she may have Hollywood magic on her side, but the rest of us have a potent beauty weapon too: sleep!
It turns out, there really is such a thing as beauty sleep. “Sleep allows the body to go into several stages of non-REM and REM cycles for restoration of body functions,” says Dr. Vermén M. Verallo-Rowell, a research dermatologist. Further, the emerging science of chronobiology — the study of the impact of biological rhythms and their effects on the body — has uncovered subtle differences in skin behavior at night. The skin is more permeable; it expends fewer defenses against the daytime’s free radicals, pollution and sun damage; and oil production is lower. All these changes help active ingredients absorb more effectively at 2 a.m. than at 2 p.m.
Here’s a guide to the types of treatments and products that work their magic in the dark.