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What Makes Sleep the Secret to Beauty and Health

It is widely acknowledged that getting an adequate amount of sleep on a consistent basis is beneficial for maintaining a healthy heart and mind. But, have you ever thought that getting enough sleep each night can also help you maintain that healthy glow to your skin?

According to a recent study at, University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, OH researchers found that getting a good night’s sleep was a prerequisite toward maintaining healthy skin, with fewer wrinkles, an even skin tone and increased elasticity. So, why is getting enough sleep the secret to beauty?

Younger Looking Skin

When your sleep cycle is normal, human growth hormone (HGH) is released during the initial period of Stage 3 sleep at night. Not only is this hormone an important factor in a growing child’s physical maturing process, it is also part of our physical restoration process. During sleep, the brain releases HGH into our bloodstream. The release process is the catalyst for the repairing and restoration processes to occur.

For any individual who does not have a consistent sleep pattern or doesn’t get much sleep at all, there will not be a surge in the release of HGH. However, when a healthy sleep pattern returns, the surge in HGH will return to normal levels. When this hormone is released during the deep sleep stage, the surge creates a situation where any damaged cells are then repaired. If an individual does not get to the deep sleep stage, the surge won’t occur. Rather, small cellular breakdowns will occur each day. Basically, the regeneration process is reversed and the individual will notice distinct signs of aging.

Healthy Skin Appearance

A second reason that sleep is the secret ingredient to beauty is that getting an adequate amount of sleep will promote healthy looking skin. When you do not get the right amount of sleep, your body’s immune system will begin to “turn against healthy tissues and organs.” Basically, when you have a lack of consistent sleep, damaging inflammation to the tissues will occur. This inflammation can then lead to a breakdown of hyaluronic acid and collagen. These molecules are important in giving your skin its healthy glow. So, it is vital to get an adequate amount of sleep in order to maintain healthy, translucent skin.

Attractive Appearance

Maintaining younger looking skin with a healthy appearance will also significantly increase your attractiveness quotient. A 2010 study from the British Medical Journal carried out research into this area. In that study, 23 subjects were photographed after experiencing a specific period of sleep deprivation. They were also photographed after experiencing a good night’s sleep of eight hours.

The review part of the study consisted of showing those photographs to 65 individuals who were asked to rate the photos “based on health, attractiveness and tiredness.” According to the findings, all photos of the sleep deprived individuals scored significantly lower in all three categories.

Significant Decrease in Weight

Getting an adequate amount of sleep is also a secret ingredient to beauty because it will decrease your weight. According to a research study by scientists at Uppsala University in Sweden, “One sleepless night lowers the body’s consumption of energy by five percent.” Essentially, our metabolism is drastically slowed down and this causes weight gain. One of the researchers, Christian Benedict, advised that twenty percent more energy than normal is also stored in our body. Blood flow is then increased in the various parts of the brain in regard to how we relate to food. Previously, this increase was only seen in extremely obese individuals. Benedict indicated that, “Lack of sleep confounds the metabolic clock.”   

So, if you want to stay younger and healthier looking, don’t skimp out on your beauty sleep! Getting an adequate amount of consistent, daily sleep will help you keep that healthy glow longer.

Study Uncovers Link between Blood Type and Risk of Cognitive Decline

Many factors impact brain health, from genetics to sleep quality. And now a new landmark study has found that blood type also may affect cognitive function as we age.

Indeed, researchers at the University of Sheffield in England found that those with an O blood type have more gray matter in their brain, which helps ward off diseases such as Alzheimer's, than those with A, B or AB blood types.

"In all likelihood the biology of blood types influences the development of the nervous system," said Professor Annalena Venneri in a written statement. "We now have to understand how and why this occurs.”

Gray matter, largely composed of neuronal cell bodies, serves to process information in the brain. As we age, a reduction of gray matter volumes typically occurs.

Venneri and other researchers analyzed the results of 189 MRI scans from healthy volunteers. They calculated the volumes of gray matter within the brain and then looked at the differences based on blood type.

The results, published in the Brain Research Bulletin, show that individuals with an O blood type have more gray matter in the posterior proportion of the cerebellum. In comparison, those with A, B or AB blood types had less gray matter in parts of the brain including the left hippocampus, which deals with the formation of long-term memories.

But researchers said more studies are needed to figure out what other biological mechanisms may be at play.

The results from the new study mirrored 2014 research that also looked at blood type and brain function. That study, by researchers at the University of Vermont, found that those with the rare AB blood type, present in less than 10 percent of the population, have a higher than average risk of cognitive problems as they age.

So what if you don't have the O blood type? Don't panic, experts say. Other studies suggest that both meditation and a healthy diet can help grow gray matter.

The Best Chest Workouts for Men

If you do them the right way, you won’t have to do so many other exercises. (Photo: Courtesy of John Fedele / Getty Images)

In general, men focus too much on their chests. After all, the bench press is the first weightlifting move most of us learn, and we too often aim to build our pecs before addressing a weak core, legs, or poor functional strength. That’s not to say you should skip the chest. Instead, take a smarter, more holistic approach to the upper body, outlined here.

Exercise 1: 1.5 Rep Bench Presses 

(Photo: Courtesy of Dave and Les Jacobs / Getty Images)

This exercise is simple and effective. Unrack a standard barbell bench press, and lower the weight to the chest. Then drive it up to the halfway point, pause, and then lower it down to the chest once more. Finish the rep by pressing the weight all the way up to the top. That’s one rep. This method allows the chest to work twice as much as the triceps, since the half-rep in the beginning doesn’t involve the arms. It’s a great way to bust through plateaus and make lighter weight feel heavy. Focus on sets of 6-8 reps. Rest 2 minutes between sets.

(Photo: Courtesy of Andy Crawford / Getty Images)

Stand up tall and with flat hands, squeeze a 5 or 10 pound plate between your hands at chest level. Maintaining pressure on the plate, slide the hands away from the chest, in a straight line. Don’t allow your shoulders to round. Squeeze the chest hard upon full extension, and slowly return to the starting position. Work on sets of 10 to 15 reps. this is great as a secondary movement to a major chest movement like the bench press or incline press. It’s also an excellent “finisher” post workout. Watch an example here.

Exercise 3: Ring Push Ups

(Photo: Courtesy of Dominique Douieb / Getty Images)

Doing push-ups using rings or another suspension training system like the TRX, creates instability at the hand that needs to be steadied via the rotator cuff. As a bonus, the chest now has a further, more complete range of motion to travel through, since there’s no ground to block it. Focus on sets of 12-15 reps. If you feel too much shoulder stress during this exercise, adjust either the rings or your positioning so you’re set up with your hands further away from the ground.

Exercise 4: Bench Press Ladder Sets

(Photo: Courtesy of Mike Harrington / Getty Images)   

Using a barbell or dumbbells, start by selecting the weight for a 10 to 12 rep max, performing 2 reps of a standard flat or incline bench press. Then take 10 to 15 seconds of complete rest. Immediately following the rest, perform 3 reps. Rest for 10 to 15 seconds and then do 5 reps. Rest once more, and then finish with 10 reps.

This is a good way to trick your muscles into performing 20 reps with your 10 rep max, taking advantage of mini breaks within the set. Perform 4 sets of ladders, and rest 3 minutes between rounds.

Exercise 5: Pin Press

(Photo: Courtesy of Eric Bean / Getty Images)   

Set up a bench in the squat cage and set the safety pins so the bar lands on them instead of your chest, about 6 inches away from your torso. Load the weight and perform a single repetition by driving the weight off the pins, to full lockout. Lower the weight quickly, and let it crash to the pins and settle. Reset yourself, and perform another rep. Cluster your reps using this fashion, until you’ve performed 5 to 6 reps. Rest 3 minutes between rounds, and perform 5 sets. This will train strength from a dead stop — you won’t be using momentum to help the weight get out of the bottom position, which asks more of your absolute force production.

Exercise 6: Post Workout Burnouts

(Photo: Courtesy of David Foster / Getty Images)   

After a heavy flat or incline bench press workout, you want to keep going. After your final work set, finish off by dropping the weight to 60 percent of what you just lifted, and performing one set of as many reps as possible — NFL combine style. Make it your goal to hit 20 reps in your burnout set. Use a spotter for help as you approach failure. Check out this example.

Exercise 7: Dumbbell Floor Press

(Photo: Courtesy of Wulf Voss / Getty Images)   

If you’ve got bad shoulders, this one’s for you. Lay flat on the floor, get tight, and set up dumbbells in the same position that you would normally set up for a bench press. Using only your chest and triceps, drive the weights up to the top position, and lower slowly. Pause briefly with the elbows on the floor, and repeat. The lack of bottom-end range can act as a shoulder saver, and the use of dumbbells can allow a lifter to play with his elbow position to find one comfortable for his joints. Here’s a video example.