Most of us are familiar with the apathetic lethargy that follows a sleepless night. But for the one third of Britons and the 35 per cent of Americans who get less than seven hours of shuteye, the consequences are far-reaching. Productivity, cognitive ability and appearance all take a sharp nosedive without adequate sleep.

What it also affects is your skin. It is in the depths of the night that cells, tissues and muscles regenerate, the immune system gets a boost, hormones that control weight are regulated and detoxification occurs in both body and brain. And, since your skin isn’t busy fending off environmental aggressors such as pollution and UV rays, it has a chance to repair itself.

In an effort to preserve your good looks, we’ve compiled five ways to maximise your sleep routine.

Skin metabolism peaks somewhere between 10.00pm and 2.00am, by which time we hope you’re already fast asleep. In this state, skin is far more receptive to high-performance products that boost cell regeneration and turnover. We recommend Perricone MD Essential Fx Intensive Overnight Moisturiser, which delivers time-released nutrition throughout the night to relieve your face of creases and fine lines. The 1A Overnight Mask from Allies of Skin, on the other hand, is targeted at the chronic insomniac and will brighten dull and tired complexions by morning.

Melatonin, the neurotransmitter-like compound that induces sleep, is influenced by light exposure. The more light there is, the longer you stay awake. This simple fact goes some way to explaining why an innocent scroll through Instagram before bed wreaks havoc with your sleep-wake cycles and prevents you from nodding off. Best to ban smartphones from the bedroom and replace them with something a little cleverer. The Casper Glow is a warm bedside light that dims over a pre-determined time to help your body establish a healthy sleep pattern. Best of all, the portable device adapts to the ambient light in the room and is gesture controlled, thanks to a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope. Simply flip it to turn it on and give it a gentle shake for a low light that will guide you to the fridge at 4.00am without any slapstick mishaps.

Many spas offer sleep sessions, but few are as thorough as the seven-day programme offered by SHA Wellness in Spain. The staff leave no stone unturned and rely on polygraphs, psychotherapy and health examinations to get to the nub of your disturbed sleep patterns. The prescription consists of everything from acupuncture and massage to Tibetan bowls, oxygen bars and a hydrotherapy circuit. You’re then sent back into the real world with a set of holistic tools and techniques that will help you fall asleep on command.

Using essential oils, rather than benzodiazepines, is a step in the right direction if you usually need a little help to nod off. And, despite their apparent fluffiness, there’s a body of research that has explored the “hypnotic effects” of essential oils and how they aid the onset of sleep by reducing stress and anxiety. Forward-thinking brand This Works has blended lavender, vetiver and camomile into its Deep Sleep range, which includes a pillow spray. If you’re a traditionalist, and an aesthete to boot, then diffuse frankincense, rose or cedarwood oil in a Tom Dixon Cage Diffuser.

Sleep apps are a dime a dozen. Most of them rely on a smartwatch or wristband to deliver metrics on the quality of your sleep (or, indeed, using your phone in bed). Unfortunately, few offer any kind of solution for a shoddy night’s kip. Sleepace has done away with watches altogether and substituted them with a plastic button, the Sleep Dot, which attaches to the corner of your pillow and records everything from body movements and sleep cycles to humidity and temperature. It even plays “sleep-aid” music for an allocated period of time (crashing waves, not the latest Coldplay album) and can wake you up at the lightest stage of your cycle, thus reducing crankiness.