Want to prevent wrinkles? Wear sunscreen. Want to fight the lines and spots you already have? Try retinol. Blah, blah, blah. You've heard this advice a million times before.

Which is why you'll be excited to learn that scientists have discovered a new anti-ager -- and it doesn't come in a tube. In fact, it's free, easy, and something you're doing anyway: it's sleep.

It's no secret that you look better -- younger, even -- after a good night's sleep. And the opposite is true, as well. Just think of the telltale signs of sleep deprivation written all over the face of any new mother: dark circles, puffiness, wrinkles … you know the drill.

Up until now, scientists haven't connected the dots between lack of sleep and lackluster skin. While the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has declared lack of sleep a national epidemic, contributing to health issues like obesity and heart disease, a new study out of Case Medical Center in Ohio delves into the hows and whys of sleep deprivation and its affect on your skin.

But don't let this news keep you up at night. We've got nine tips that will transform the way you sleep. And we're not talking about snooze-fest guidelines like eating better and working out more. From products that trick your skin into thinking you're getting more sleep to the midnight snack that's actually good for you, you'll be getting a better night's sleep … stat!

Wrap your head around this: your circadian rhythm -- the biological process of sleep and wakefulness that takes place over a 24-hour cycle -- turns certain genes on and off over the course of a day. "It's about a 10 percent change from day to night," says Daniel Yarosh, Senior Vice President of Science Research at Estée Lauder. "That's a bigger difference than genetic differences between ethnicities." So you're literally a different person when you're awake than when you're asleep -- and it's especially apparent in your skin.

During the day, your skin is working to protect itself from things like sun, wind, and pollution. Skin is at a higher pH at this time, and it produces more oil, explains New York City dermatologist Jeanette Graf, MD. "When you sleep, your skin changes -- it goes into renewal mode," she says. There's more blood circulation and less oil production while it repairs all the damage it incurred during the day. On a cellular level, your skin needs sleep to recharge.

It's bad enough that a few sleepless nights can do a number on your face (those puffy eyes and dark circles tell the tale), but a new study from Case Medical Center in Ohio found that lack of sleep actually ages your skin faster, too. The study (aptly titled "The Effects of Sleep Quality on Skin Aging and Function") followed 60 women who fell into two categories (good sleepers and poor sleepers) based on a standardized sleep-quality test. Their skin was measured using the SCINEXA system -- a scoring method dermatologists use to rate how old your skin looks.

The poor sleepers had more wrinkles, uneven tone, and less elasticity, all of which translates to older-looking skin. The difference was significant: good sleepers had (literally) 100 percent better-looking skin, says Elma Baron, MD, director of the Skin Study Center at UH Case Medical Center. Statistically speaking: that's a score of 2.2 (good) for the good sleepers vs. 4.4 (bad) for the bad sleepers (a newborn baby's skin would be a zero).

When you don't get enough sleep, your skin doesn't have a chance to kick into catabolysis -- the renewal mode that happens while you're sleeping. "This is when cells remove and recycle cell debris," says Yarosh. "It peaks at night while you're sleeping, and it's a natural process that's necessary for skin health." Think of it this way: if a tile in your bathroom floor cracks, you have to remove the broken tile, throw it away, and replace it with a new one. Similarly, free radicals can damage pieces of a skin cell, and your cell has to remove the damaged piece and repair it -- that's catabolysis.

And catabolysis is key for calming inflammation -- think: sunburn and puffiness. The Skin Study Center's research found that when the sleep-deprived women were sunburned, their skin stayed red for 72 hours -- two days more than the good sleepers. "Poor sleepers hold onto inflammation longer," says Baron.

There is no substitute for good quality sleep, period. But there are products that work in tandem with and boost the natural renewal process that happens while you're sleeping. Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair, $62, now contains Chronolux CB, a peptide complex that tricks your skin cells into thinking they're sleeping, which activates renewal mode (a.k.a. catabolysis).

Sleeping masks are a big trend in skin care right now. If you your skin is especially dry or dull in the morning, the right sleep mask at bedtime can help your other nighttime skin care products work even better by preventing them from evaporating (i.e. transepidermal water loss). A few of our favorites: Dr. Jart Water Fuse Watermax Sleeping Mask, $34, is a gel with a fantastic cooling effect. And Korres Greek Yogurt Advanced Nourishing Sleeping Facial, $45, contains actual Greek yogurt for intense hydration.