Can You Sleep with Fake Nails?

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If you love having gorgeous looking nails, chances are you are a fan of fake nails. They are fashionable and can look great as there are many different kinds you can get. However, they can pose a threat to yourself and others if not taken care of seriously.

Is it okay to sleep with fake nails? Yes, as long as they are glue on, stick on, or acrylic nails. Whether you should or not depends on how you sleep. You don’t want to sleep in a position that will cause your fake nails to come off or get damaged.

Although you can sleep with fake nails, you might want to consider other factors that will make sure you can sleep with them safely, such as the questions, do you like to cuddle while sleeping? Or, do you tend to move a lot while asleep?

The Responsibilities (or difficulties) of Fake Nails

As mentioned, it is okay to sleep with acrylic, stick on, or glue on nails. But it does come with difficulties. If you tend to move around when you sleep, then it would be wise to have them off. Your fake nails will more than likely fall or break off if you sleep on them or scrape something accidentally.

If you have a partner or love to cuddle a beloved pet, you should also be considerate of them and maybe avoid sleeping with fake nails. You certainly don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night hearing them scream or howl in pain from your deadly scratch.

Things You Can’t Do With Fake Nails

Things are just not the same if you are wearing fake nails. For those who are new, you may expect an inability to function correctly throughout the day. You may love their look, but they do come with a price. Here are some common things you cannot or might find hard to do with fake nails.

• Go to the bathroom – Zipping and unzipping your pants with fake nails on is so tricky that you probably would never want to buy anything with zippers again.
• Text – Maybe if you had an old Nokia phone with non-touch buttons, you may have a chance at texting something. Otherwise, it would be best to just use voice command when communicating.
• Type – Similar to texting, typing is even more of a nuisance with fake nails. If you can type normally with fake nails on, then you should probably have that under the “skills” section of your resume.
• Handwrite – If typing is next to impossible, writing by hand is even worse. Sure, you can try, but if you don’t mind being seen as someone with kindergarten level handwriting, then go for it.
• Do your hair – Doing your own hair is a lost cause if you are wearing fake nails. It’s not only the tangles, but it is also the fact that your artificial nails are nothing but blunted plastics.
• Open a can of soda – You should not even try this one. Opening cans aren’t for acrylic nails, so best to get a quarter or something else to open it for you.
• Peel an orange – This one can be quite a painful task. If you love fruits that require peeling, just be prepared to have dirty nails.
• Lift anything heavy – Lifting or carrying anything remotely heavy is going be painful with fake nails. This can also break your nails, so you should avoid any strenuous heavy lifting.
• Wash dishes – No way will you want to wash dishes or scrub grease and grime with these plastic nails, so this is probably more of a good thing.

The Truth Behind Fake Nails

It is not surprising that you would want to rock the look of fake nails (view on Amazon). After all, they are totally fabulous. Still, you need to know about its perils. Underneath its glamorous look is something not likely pretty. Fake nails, acrylic nails particularly, can damage your real nails. The damage can be excruciating, one that makes even contact with hot water agonizing.

The damage is not something you get overnight. You get them after using fake nails regularly or very often. Also, this happens when your real nails are not adequately cared for under the plastic ones, so make sure you don’t neglect your real nails’ health if you want to have fake nails. On that note, we will teach you a few things about how to keep them as healthy as possible.

Tips to Reduce Nail Damage from Fake Nails

Filing of the natural nails until they are rough is how you get acrylic nails to stick. Doing this thins your real nails, which makes them weaker. Also, the application of plastic nails often uses chemicals that can irritate the skin around the nails and everywhere else that gets in contact with it. More health risks come with the use of artificial nails, which you definitely need to know about.

For one, filing off of your nails or soaking them in acetone to remove the fake ones are serious health risks. Artificial nails can only last around 2 to 3 weeks. If you need them to have a lifetime more than that, frequent touch-ups are necessary. But those can also damage the growth of your natural nails. The following tips can help your nails avoid becoming thin, brittle, and dried if you still can’t help the use of artificial nails.

1. Gel Nails Instead of Acrylic Nails

If you can, get gel nails instead of acrylic nails. Since they are more flexible, they are a little easier on your natural nails, meaning less damage. Also, ask to get soak off gel nails, not the kind that needs to be filed off as those are less damaging.

Checkout the Makartt P-01 Nail Extension Gel Kit (view on Amazon) which provides a great selection of natural looking gel nails. Compared to other nail extensions, they are stronger and more flexible. They also dry very quickly.

2. Skip the Cuticle Trimming

When you get a manicure, the nail technicians always trim the cuticles. Those, however, are needed to protect the nails and skin around them from infection. With them removed, it will be easier for bacteria and germs to damage your nails. So, if possible, skip this procedure.

3. LED Curing Instead of UV Curing

Ultraviolet or UV light is needed for the gel nails to harden. Instead of UV curing though, you can go to a nail salon that offers LED curing. This one uses lower levels of UV that causes less damage and also heal the nails a lot faster.

4. Only Use Artificial Nails Occasionally

Fake nails are so beautiful that you will be tempted to wear them all the time. But since it can be challenging to maintain both artificial and natural nails, you might want to get them only for special occasions. This way, you can reduce nail damage and other problems. Get a regular manicure from time to time if you want fabulous nails.

5. Take Biotin Everyday

Biotin is a B vitamin that may help halt the cause of your nail damage and even reverse it. That makes it crucial to take biotin every day to strengthen your brittle nails. Taking them daily is essential, particularly if your nails are already damaged. It will speed up the healing and help your nails to grow a lot faster.

6. Have the Nails Removed Every So Often and By Professionals

As mentioned before, these nails only last 2 to 3 weeks. Make sure to get it removed every so often. Even more important, ensure that professionals perform the removal. If they are done incorrectly, it can cause severe damage.

Maintaining Your Acrylic Nails

Regardless of the difficulties or hazards that come with fake nails, there are precautions and safety measures you can take so that you can still enjoy their aesthetic benefits. Here are some tips below.

1. Treat Them Gently

When wearing acrylics or any other kind of artificial nails, you’re permitting yourself to baby them. It means you have to avoid doing things like opening cans (and other aforementioned things you can’t do with fake nails on) or it will cause them to break off and just waste your money

2. Use Vitamin E

Vitamin E has a lot of uses and that includes nourishing the nails along with the skin surrounding it. You may use vitamin E oil on your hands (view on Amazon) once or twice a day to combat dryness. There is also cuticle cream with vitamin E available that you can purchase for this purpose.

3. Use Topcoat Applications

This one will add a bit more of a price to your already expensive nail accessory. However, gel polish (view on Amazon) or topcoat can actually extend your nail’s lifetime. You can know more about applying the top layer from your nail technician, so be sure to ask them. It is recommended to apply the coat every 2 to 3 days for maximum protection.

4. Keep Away from Acetone

Acetone is used for removing fake nails. It’s also a chemical that doesn’t work well with acrylics. If you need a polish change, your safest bet is to go to a nail tech. Also, ask your tech about all the chemicals you need to avoid. One of the most common is turpentine. Heat also damages the nails.

5. No Attempts at DIY

Unless you are a licensed nail tech, then you may. But if you aren’t, let the trained experts handle the maintenance of your acrylic nails, especially the complicated ones. These include fixing breaks and lifts, clipped nails, etc. DIY application of fake nails is not a good idea. You don’t want to risk getting a painful nail infection.

Conclusion – Can You Sleep with Fake Nails?

There you have it. It is perfectly okay to sleep with fake nails (view on Amazon) on if it’s not going to be difficult for you or if you sleep like a baby. Despite the many disadvantages, there are plenty of things that you can do to ensure your fake nails last long and that they don’t cause damage to your natural nails.