Yes, Beauty Sleep is a real thing.

Let’s face it: Breakouts, a dull complexion and looking like an exhausted raccoon is basically the stuff of nightmares.

Ah, DECEMBER. When every night you go to bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in your head...for about five hours. Then it’s up early to put the finishing touches on your English paper, followed by a nonstop school day before you rush to basketball practice, grab a quick dinner and settle in for another late-into-the-night cram session.

Oh, and don’t forget to find time to shop for piles of presents, bake batches of peanut butter blossoms for your BFF’s cookie party and attend a bazillion holiday hangouts with your friends and fam because, you know, ’tis the season.

So is it any wonder you’re feeling (and probably looking, tbh) totally exhausted?

As much as a lack of sleep saps your energy level, it also takes a toll on your skin, leading to everything from under-eye circles to dullness to brutal breakouts.

It’s time to finally make sleep an essential part of your beauty routine so you can wake up looking and feeling amazing (and a few skincare must-haves will help, too).

BRING ON BEAUTY SLEEP

Saying it again for the people in the back: A full night’s sleep (that’s eight hours, please) is v. important for your health. And that includes your skin’s health.

“When you are asleep, the stress hormone cortisol decreases and the sleep hormone melatonin increases, mitigating the damage done to your skin throughout the day,” reveals dermatologist Dr. Lian Mack. “Good sleep allows your body to recover from the stressors.”