Sleeping seven to nine hours a day is easier said than done for some, but not doing so comes with consequences for our bodies.

About 35 per cent of people get fewer than seven hours of sleep; this can lead to a variety of health problems, such as memory issues, mood changes, a weakened immune system and high blood pressure, but there’s another side effect: unhealthy skin.

When you fall asleep, your body enters recovery and healing mode, releasing human growth hormones (HGH), which are responsible for creating new cells to heal damage our skin might have suffered during the day.