Brad Pitt’s Beauty Sleep

Apparently director Quentin Tarantino made a big exception to his rule of no actors sleeping on the set for Brad Pitt while they were filming Inglourious Basterds.  The notoriously unwielding Tarantino supposedly allowed Pitt his beauty sleep because “Brad has a big family [six children and partner Angelina Jolie] and sleeping at work is the only chance he gets.”  Brad’s cat naps raise the question: “Does beauty sleep really work?” because something is obviously working or the multiple “Sexiest Man Alive” awardee.

There are many claims out there that sleep increases cell turnover in the skin, repairs its barrier and even stimulates collagen formation.  Others contend that this process could be ongoing and not limited to deep sleep, and while there is some contention over whether or not sleep can truly stave off wrinkles, no one denies that sleep is vital to the health of the body.  Sleep is the body’s time to renew itself and rejuvenate.  Lack of sleep can lead to many problems in waking hours such as physical exhaustion, irritability, memory loss, and impairment of the immune system. From a cosmetic standpoint, we are all familiar with that puffy appearance, especially under the eyes, that can result from a late night out.

Perhaps “beauty sleep” is a slight misnomer. In addition to sleeping for our beauty, let’s all make sure to make time to sleep for our health and beauty!