The Close Connection Between Collagen and Sleep

If you’re already using collagen to improve your skin’s firmness and hydration, here’s a bonus: collagen doesn’t just give you a glow from the outside in – it also supports a deeper, more restorative sleep that enhances your skin health in other essential ways.

When you get quality sleep, your skin goes through critical repair and regeneration processes, boosting collagen production, cell turnover, and even moisture retention.

So, by helping you sleep better, collagen does double duty: it works directly on skin elasticity and hydration and indirectly by supporting the quality rest that allows your skin to repair, restore, and look its best each morning.

Collagen is well-known for its skin benefits – and for good reason. 
As the most abundant protein in our bodies, collagen is the ‘building block’ essential for skin elasticity, hydration, and firmness. 
It helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles and can promote faster wound healing.

Here’s why collagen is essential for keeping your skin looking its best:

• Supports Skin Structure: Collagen provides the ‘scaffolding’ that keeps skin firm and plump, combating sagging and loss of elasticity.
• Enhances Hydration: Research shows that collagen can boost moisture levels, making skin appear softer and more radiant.
• Reduces Wrinkles: Regular collagen intake has been linked to smoother, younger-looking skin by reducing fine lines and wrinkles over time.

If you’re already using collagen for your skin, you’ll be happy to know it does much more than give you that glow – it also offers benefits for restful sleep.

Collagen contains an amino acid called glycine, which plays an important role in our sleep patterns.

The reason for this is down to the two primary factors that affect sleep - body temperature and melatonin levels.

BODY TEMPERATURE AND SLEEP

One of the body’s natural triggers for sleep is a gradual reduction in core temperature. Normally, as bedtime approaches, your body temperature drops by about 1-2 degrees Celsius. 

This drop signals to your brain that it’s time to sleep, and staying cool through the night helps you sleep more deeply.

Glycine aids in this natural process by gently lowering your body temperature even further, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Studies show that consuming 15g of collagen (which provides an adequate amount of glycine) can improve sleep quality by supporting this cooling effect.

What does this mean for you? If you find yourself tossing and turning, glycine-rich collagen may help you relax, fall asleep faster, and stay asleep longer.

MELATONIN AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS

Our bodies produce melatonin, the hormone that controls sleep and wake cycles, but it first requires serotonin – a mood-regulating hormone that promotes relaxation.

Glycine plays a crucial role here, too, as it helps boost serotonin production. This, in turn, allows for more melatonin production, aligning with your natural circadian rhythms to promote a deep, restful sleep.

Translation: Collagen isn’t just a skin booster – it’s a sleep ally that works with your body’s rhythms to help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling refreshed.

1. How long before bed should I take collagen to improve my sleep?
For best results, take collagen around 30-60 minutes before bed. This allows enough time for glycine to work its magic on your body temperature and serotonin levels.

2. Can I take collagen in any form to get these benefits?
Yes, you can take collagen in various forms – powders, gummies, or capsules. Choose a high-quality, hydrolyzed collagen supplement like OTIS SKINCARE’s FIRM IT UP COLLAGEN PEPTIDES for optimal results.

3. Can collagen replace my regular sleep aids?
While collagen is beneficial for improving sleep quality, it’s not necessarily a replacement for prescribed sleep aids if you have significant sleep issues. However, it can be a natural, supportive addition to your routine.

4. Will collagen make me sleepy during the day?
No, collagen doesn’t act as a sedative. Instead, it helps your body regulate sleep patterns without making you feel drowsy during the day.

Collagen’s benefits extend beyond skin health, offering an effective way to improve sleep quality naturally.

Thanks to glycine, collagen helps lower body temperature and supports serotonin production, allowing for better rest and a smoother start to your day.

By incorporating our nutritional supplements FIRM IT UP COLLAGEN PEPTIDES or ELITE SLEEP GUMMIES into your nightly routine, you can get the dual benefits of radiant skin and restful sleep. 

Try it for yourself and experience how collagen can help you wake up feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the day.

References 

Bannai M, Kawai N, Ono K, Nakahara K, Murakami N. The effects of glycine on subjective daytime performance in partially sleep-restricted healthy volunteers. Front Neurol. 2012 Apr 18;3:61. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2012.00061. PMID: 22529837; PMCID: PMC3328957.

Proksch E, Schunck M, Zague V, Segger D, Degwert J, Oesser S. Oral intake of specific bioactive collagen peptides reduces skin wrinkles and increases dermal matrix synthesis . Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2014;27(3):113-9. doi: 10.1159/000355523. Epub 2013 Dec 24. PMID: 24401291.

Kawai N, Sakai N, Okuro M, Karakawa S, Tsuneyoshi Y, Kawasaki N, Takeda T, Bannai M, Nishino S. The sleep-promoting and hypothermic effects of glycine are mediated by NMDA receptors in the suprachiasmatic nucleus . Neuropsychopharmacology. 2015 May;40(6):1405-16. doi: 10.1038/npp.2014.326. Epub 2014 Dec 23. PMID: 25533534; PMCID: PMC4397399.

Asserin J, Lati E, Shioya T, Prawitt J. The effect of oral collagen peptide supplementation on skin moisture and the dermal collagen network : evidence from an ex vivo model and randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2015 Dec;14(4):291-301. doi: 10.1111/jocd.12174. Epub 2015 Sep 12. PMID: 26362110.