Can poor sleep affect skin integrity?

Modern society has reported a decline in sleep time in the recent decades. This reduction can increase the morbidity and mortality of several diseases and leads to an immunosuppressive state. The skin is the largest organ in the human body and collagen, its main component, has a key role in the structure and integrity of the organism. The entire sequence of events necessary during collagen formation can be affected by endogenous and exogenous factors. A variety of studies in the literature have shown that sleep plays a role in restoring immune system function and that changes in the immune response may affect collagen production. Several studies of prolonged sleep deprivation suggest a break in skin barrier function and mucous membranes. In fact, the reduction of sleep time affects the composition and integrity of various systems. Thus, we hypothesized that lack of sleep as well as other types of stress can impair skin integrity. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.