Get Some Rest: Sleep Deprivation Affects Facial Features

A new study reveals that sleep deprivation can affect appearance, including various features involving the eyes, mouth and skin.

Researchers believe that sleep-deprived individuals may have trouble closing their eyelids, which can in turn create redder eyes, more swollen skin tissue surrounding the eyes and darker circles under the eye. The study notes that sleep deprivation was also associated with paler skin, more wrinkles and fine lines and more droopy corners at the sides of the mouth. And, of course, if you're not getting enough sleep, you're probably going to either a.) look more pissed or b.) look more sad because you're upset that c.) you're tired.

"Since faces contain a lot of information on which humans base their interactions with each other, how fatigued a person appears may affect how others behave toward them," Tina Sundelin, MSc, lead author and doctoral student in the department of psychology at Stockholm University in Stockholm, Sweden said, via a press release. "This is relevant not only for private social interactions, but also official ones such as with health care professionals and in public safety."

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, examined 10 subjects that were photographed during two separate sleep occasions: One, after eight hours of normal sleep and the other, after 31 hours of sleep deprivation.

Photographs taken in a laboratory at 2:30 p.m. for both occasions were then rated by 40 participants based on 10 facial cues.

The authors conclude that face perception involves neuronal workings that can develop visual perceptions through human skills. For instance, our facial appearances can actually affect our judgments regarding certain attributes that involve trustworthiness, aggressiveness and competence, according to the release.

Maybe we'll think twice about getting to bed early tonight?

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Sleep.