Every bride wants to look radiant and healthy on her wedding day, and getting regular, good sleep is a major contributor to getting this!
Unfortunately, pre-wedding day jitters and stress often lead to restless nights. Bed specialists, Dreams, offers some advice on how to keep calm and relax in the run-up to the big day, and get the much-needed sleep before your wedding day…
Say no to champers
Although lots of people claim that alcohol helps them fall asleep more quickly, it actually reduces REM sleep – the stage of sleep associated with deep dreaming. Losing out on REM sleep can cause drowsiness when awake, so it’s best to avoid it altogether during the run-up to the wedding. Swap alcohol for herbal teas and non-caffeinated soft drinks, which also help with hydration.
Avoid coffee and other stimulants
Caffeine is obviously well known for keeping people awake, but many other snacks and drinks also contain caffeine, such a chocolate, tea and cola drinks. It is best to steer clear of food and drinks containing stimulants, or make sure they are consumed early in the day, as even in moderate doses, they can block sleep neurotransmitters, causing insomnia. The Dreams 7 Sleep Mistakes infographic has more advice…
Light exercise
Although time is always tight in the weeks building up to the wedding, you should allow herself some light exercise every day. Avoid too much strenuous activity later in the day though, because this is more likely to cause you to wake up in the night!
Eat foods that contain tryptophan
If you feel you need an energy boost, it’s best to snack on foods that contain tryptophan. This is an amino acid, which is required for the production of serotonin in the body, which in turn produces melatonin – a hormone that helps with sleep. Yoghurt, bananas, milk and eggs are all high in tryptophan.
Put that phone away
Although the days before a wedding can be frantic with so much to do and so many people to contact, brides should try to avoid using their phone, tablet or laptop late at night. Gadgets like this emit blue light, which is said to delay the production of melatonin, so keeping the body awake.
Turn off the TV
38% of people watch television to wind down before they sleep. However, this can actually harm the sleep cycle because watching TV before bedtime encourages you to stay up later than you would naturally.
Listen to sounds that aid sleep
If you’re anxious and finding it particularly difficult to get to sleep at night,try one of several devices or apps available that generate white noise, such as White Noise Ambience Lite. White noise devices work two ways: by blocking distracting noises, and by producing soothing sounds that are relaxing and help to induce sleep.
Sleep naked
It’s always tempting to wrap up in cosy pyjamas on cooler nights, but going to bed naked can have several benefits when it comes to getting our beauty sleep. Studies have shown that having the wrong body temperature at night can stop the dozing off process, while not allowing the body to regulate its temperature – by wearing clothes, for example – can prevent people from reaching the deeper stages of sleep.
Turn the bed into a sleep haven
Don’t compromise on comfort – make sure your bed is as comfortable as possible, even if it is just to change the bed linen for something luxurious, or swap a thick duvet for clean, cotton sheets to ensure she has a cool and calm night’s sleep before the wedding.
Try an alternative sleeping cycle
Many brides start planning their wedding months and months in advance which means there is time for them to consider changing their sleeping cycle altogether. The Dreams Sleep Matter Club offers four alternative sleeping cycles as an alternative to the common Monophasic cycle that most people practice: Biphasic, Everyman, Dymaxion and Uberman – which are you?
Beauty tip: It is also good to know that during sleep, the body goes into ‘repair’ mode. It does this by producing growth hormones which help to rebuild damaged cells, including those of the skin, hair and nails. So the more sleep we get, the longer our bodies can continue with this repairing, restoring and rebalancing process… which all means that beauty sleep isn’t a myth – it’s a fact!
You can find tons more advice on sleep and wellbeing on the Dreams Sleep Matters website, and find more beauty tips with us too, right here!
