Lifestyle Habits that Effect Your Skin

Lifestyle is a huge component of our overall skin health. There are so many articles out there that talk about stress, sleep, diet, and how it all can cause less-than-positive skin changes. But what is the truth, and how do these lifestyle factors really cause our skin to change?

One of the biggest factors to consider is sleep. When the lights go out, your skin is in recovery mode. It is busy neutralizing free radicals and rebuilding its natural antioxidant stores for the next day. When you are sleeping, you are no longer exposed to these things, and, if you give skin the missing nutrients that it needs, begins to repair itself. 

While this is one of the greatest benefits of sleep, the greatest benefit is that during sleep, the stress hormone called cortisol takes a significant dip, which results in skin being able to both protect and repair itself.

In fact, cortisol is one of your skin's worst enemies. We often think of cortisol as being associated with stressful times or with stress spikes, but, in most of our busy lives, cortisol is present in a low grade for the majority of the time. This low-grade, chronic stress exposure immediately damages the skin's immune system, and the skin's ability to self-repair.  It shows up on our skin in the form of wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, eczema flares, skin dryness, excess oil production, and basically everything being out of balance. 

Some of the best ways to heal from lack of sleep and stress imbalances are to focus on what makes us happy. Whether it is more sleep, yoga, exercise, reading, or anything else, it is important to get away from the screens and the daily grind, and take some time to heal.

Amethyst, our namesake, has been known throughout history as the gemstone of healing.  It provides a calming energy that we can tap into to help us breathe just a little easier, and in turn, help our skin repair itself.