Sleep and beauty: 6 simple ways to glow with your body clock

We’ve all asked the question at some point—how to look fresh, even after a long day? The truth is, it isn’t just expensive creams or green juices. Increasingly, many people are leaning on something more natural, their body’s own clock. Known as the circadian rhythm, this daily cycle decides when you sleep, eat, and even when your skin repairs itself. And when you live in tune with it, your glow comes almost effortlessly.

The circadian rhythm decides everything from your sleep, digestion, hormones, and skin. “ In the morning, your skin prepares to defend itself; at night, it slips into repair,” says Dr Mili Sinha, aesthetic physician at La Clinique and expert at Oteria, Delhi.  She shares, “Your skin is like a plant, it needs the right care at the right time to thrive. Glow doesn’t start with products; it starts with rhythm, rest, food, and balance working together.”

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According to Dr Sinha a healthy gut ensures healthy skin. She opines, “When your gut is healthy and your hormones balanced, the skin naturally glows. Products can help, but only when your inner clock is in sync.” She also reveals that many celebrities have a glowing skin because they stick to 7–8 hours of sleep, eat earlier in the day, avoid late-night snacking, and wind down with calming routines instead of endless scrolling. “Their skincare changes with the clock too, SPF in the morning, hydration through the day, and repair serums at night,” she adds.

Dr Sinha shares simple ways to glow with your body clock: 

• Sleep on time, glow on time: Skin repairs best at night. A solid 7–8 hours is like a free facial.

• Eat earlier, shine brighter: Daytime meals sync with your digestion. A happy gut results in a happy skin.

• Use the right product at the right hour: Morning is for protection (SPF, antioxidants), night is for repair (retinol, serums).

• Make evenings calmer: Warm baths, soft lights, or a little massage help skin slip into repair mode

• Drink water smartly: Sip through the day. Ease up before bed so sleep, and repair, aren’t disturbed.

• Switch off screens, switch on glow: Less blue light at night means deeper sleep and healthier, brighter skin by morning.