Call me lazy, although I prefer time-poor optimist. But what I want from a beauty or grooming routine is either instant results or ones you don't have to work for at all. I'm talking products that do their duty while you sleep.

Perhaps in response to our lack of time, and no doubt capitalising on the idea that your body repairs itself while you sleep, the beauty industry is creating more products that use rest time to help you look better.

These high-tech products have been formulated to heal and improve skin while you sleep but can they really deliver results overnight? The beauty industry seems to think so.

On a practical level, we know that skin temperature rises when you sleep, meaning topical treatments can penetrate more effectively than during the day. And, while the effectiveness of products used in your daily skin-care routine can be disrupted by environmental factors, treatments can sink into your skin without disturbance when you sleep.

But nothing, even if it comes with a sky-high price tag, will help your looks if you don't get the quality of sleep you need.

Good sleep is essentially a transformative experience that affects not only your looks but has increasingly been shown to reduce the risk of a broad range of health problems – ranging from depression to colds and flu – says Dr Rubin Naiman, clinical assistant professor of medicine and behavioural sleep specialist at the University of Arizona Centre for Integrative Medicine, directed by Dr Andrew Weil.

Rest also reduces the levels of cortisol in our bodies, a hormone linked to thinning skin, stretch marks and discolouration, and increases the sleep hormone melatonin, a natural antioxidant. In fact, a 2013 by the University Hospitals Case Medical Centre in the United States showed the skins of poor sleepers aged more quickly and recovered more slowly from a variety of environmental stressors, such as ultraviolet radiation. One rider – the study was commissioned by cosmetics giant Estée Lauder.

In short, to improve your appearance and your health, go for eight hours of rest – although Naiman has nine. And if you want to experiment with boosting the regenerative power of shut-eye, here's our pick of the new wave of beauty-while-you-sleep products.

1. CosMedix Rescue+ Intense Hydrating Balm & Mask

You can use this in the daytime too, but applied at night, it's a highly concentrated, soothing balm and mask formulated to calm redness after you take off your makeup. Argan oil hydrates and softens, calendula calms and the "it" ingredient of the moment, turmeric root – a potent antioxidant – fights free-radical damage caused by pollution and UV light. $92.40 cosmedix.com

2. Apot.Care Night Diamond Energising Night Cream

If you're going to buy into the whole night cream ritual, why not splurge on a potion that employs no less than diamonds to regenerate skin while you sleep. Each jar contains 0.025 carats, as well as anti-ageing ingredients. Finely ground diamonds definitely exfoliate. $240 mecca.com.au

3. Clarins Relax Body Treatment Oil

Body oils can be messy during the day so this one has been designed to use before bed. It's aromatherapy-based, with basil, bitter orange, chamomile and geranium to soften and calm skin. $68 clarins.com.au

4. Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Overnight Hand Therapy

Here's a good idea for anyone who works overtime on keyboards or smartphones but doesn't like that greasy feeling during the day. The blend contains marine ingredients, amino acids and vitamins designed to make hands fit for show in business or boardrooms. $32 www.crabtree-evelyn.com.au

5. Aesop Blue Chamomile Facial Hydrating Masque

Aesop is known and loved for its potent, natural, aromatic formulas. The masque is a gel that contains soothing botanicals designed to leave taut, stressed skin feeling fresher and softer. You put it on before bed and wipe away any excess the next morning. Good for dehydrated complexions. $55 aesop.com.au

6. Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Overnight Lip Balm

Jumping on a trend, Napoleon gives us a lip balm formulated with beeswax and vitamin E to condition and soften delicate skin overnight. Could you use it during the day too? Sure. $29 napoleonperdis.com.au

7. La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Sleep Mask

Like you, this formula multi-tasks. It's either a relaxing face mask or a night cream that melts into your skin while you sleep to "boost the skin's natural nocturnal renewal". Of course we can't prove this but we can say that it combines luxury ingredients like caviar with natural exfoliation enzymes to help you look like you had eight hours of shut-eye. $440 laprairie.com.au

8. Priori Lash Recovery Serum

During the day, many women use a mascara so a lash growth product isn't practical. This overnight treatment, which promises to give you thicker, healthier-looking lashes in two weeks, is applied along the base of the lashes at bedtime. If sparse eyebrows are your grooming challenge, you can apply it to these too. $99 prioriskincare.com

9. Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil

If you work in the city, pollution and ultraviolet light are a challenge for your complexion. Sunday Riley has become a cult product because its formulas claim to lead to visible improvements in the quality of skin. This oil uses avocado, chia and grape seed to help rejuvenate complexions and soften fine lines. $154. mecca.com.au