Imagine a podcast that gets around 3 million downloads a month, but no one is meant to listen to it. During Drew Ackerman’s Sleep With Me, the host tells mind-numbing bedtime stories solely to put you to sleep. Not a bad business model, considering that up to 70 million Americans report some kind of sleep disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (a number that could climb in 2020 as more people, particularly women, suffer from “racing mind,” says sleep psychiatrist Eric Nofzinger, MD).
Getting at least seven hours of sleep is life-altering: It improves mental tenacity, coping ability, metabolism, and immune function. And if beauty is your motivation, there’s incentive for your skin, too. A study published this year in the journal Nature Cell Biology confirms a direct link between hiccups in your circadian rhythms (the body’s sleep, wake, and eat pattern) and the skin’s ability to synthesize collagen. “Think of sleep as food and water for your skin,” says New York dermatologist Whitney Bowe, MD. “When you disrupt the circadian rhythms, you’re more susceptible to environmental damage. Chronic sleep deprivation can exacerbate acne and inflammation, and persistently high levels of cortisol will break down collagen.”