Sleeping on your back can help prevent sleep-induced wrinkles.

Try using silk pillowcases to decrease friction and protect your skin.

You can also use night creams with retinol and hyaluronic acid to treat wrinkles overnight.

Believe it or not, there are ways to slow down signs of aging, such as wrinkles, overnight. However, sleeping in the wrong position can thwart your efforts to avoid having lines on your face.

Sleeping in such a way that your face comes into contact with cotton pillowcases, like on your side or stomach, can lead to the creation of deep sleep lines on your forehead and cheeks.

In general, wrinkles are caused by the loss of collagen and elasticity, which reduces skin volume. Applying repeated pressure (such as sleeping with the side of your face on a pillow) against the collagen will promote its breakdown, eventually leading to visible lines.

You may think there isn't much you can do to prevent wrinkles from occurring while you sleep, but there are a few ways you can prevent and reduce sleep wrinkles.

Sleep deprivation is sleeping for a shorter period of time than needed—typically less than seven hours for adults.

When people have experienced sleep deprivation, it shows in their appearance. Some indications include:

So, it might sound obvious, but getting the right amount of sleep is necessary. "It is important to sleep seven to eight hours a night to rejuvenate the skin," Debra Jaliman, MD, a New York-based dermatologist and author of "Skin Rules," told Health.

Sleeping on your stomach or one of your sides means constant pressure on your face. Over time, this action can produce unwanted sleep lines. You can remedy this by sleeping on your back, said Dr. Jaliman—this way, you will not apply any pressure to your face.

For many people, though, back sleeping might be uncomfortable. Additionally, you can't control your involuntary sleep movement, which may lead you to a side or stomach position.

But you can practice and get used to back sleeping over time by using pillows. Some methods you can try include placing a pillow under your knees or lower back and surrounding yourself with pillows on either side of your body (specifically around your midsection and hip areas). Additionally, the same pillows they sell in airports so you can sleep comfortably on long flights can be used in bed, too. They may make it easier to sleep on your back without eventually rolling onto your side.

Another way to promote sleeping on your back is to try a contoured pillow designed to make back sleeping more comfortable.

The pillows can not only help you feel more comfortable, but by making it harder for you to move to a side or stomach sleeping position, they will help your body get used to a back sleeping position.

If you just can't get comfortable sleeping on your back, you can help prevent those pillowcase-induced wrinkles using a specialty pillow that can minimize facial compression while you sleep.

You can also upgrade from cotton to silk or satin: "With a silk pillowcase, your skin slides on the pillow," said Dr. Jaliman. In other words, there is less traction, and your face won't "crunch" against it as it would on a cotton pillow.

Retinol may be one of the most powerful tools in your anti-aging arsenal. The vitamin A derivative teaches your skin to act young again by stimulating the collagen that prevents fine lines.

Retinol makes your skin more sensitive to sun damage, so overnight is the perfect time to use it if you want to add it to your skincare routine.

While you can obtain stronger creams by prescription, plenty of over-the-counter options exist.

You can also try a night cream to help with wrinkles. Night creams are heavy, ultra-moisturizing lotions that you probably couldn't get away with wearing during the day since they might leave your skin looking greasy. Choose one that contains retinol and hyaluronic acid—which helps moisturize the skin.