Life presents all kinds of adventures, some exciting, some daunting, and a whole lot of them stressful. Stress doesn’t always manifest out of negativity. Some of our happiest moments and achievements are stressful.
You’re getting married. Let’s repeat that again: you’re getting married. What could be more joyous, thrilling, mind-boggling, and overwhelming than that?! Oh and let’s not forget stressful. You’ve got a lot on your plate. You have a lot of decisions to make and you have to make them now. You and your beau are tying the knot and it’s going to be in front of people. You’re worried about what you’re going to serve at the reception, who’s going to be in the wedding party, whether or not you need to drop some weight, what kind of invitations you’re going to use for the wedding stationery (don’t worry, we’ve got you covered on that front!).
What you need is a good night’s rest. You need 120 good nights’ rest, perhaps even 1,000. Want to manage your stress levels, improve your critical thinking and decision making skills, boost your skin health, even lose weight? Consistent and high-quality sleep will do all this for you without a doubt.
Stress gets in the way and can run you down. Sometimes it seems impossible to fall into a dream state and while away a few hours in the early AM. This is the last thing you need before your wedding. Here are a few helpful tips to help you establish a healthy and reliable snoozing pattern for the weeks and months leading up to your very special day.
- Exercise. Exercising at moderate levels at least 4 times a week will set you up for more success with your sleeping habits. Keep your exercise regimen to the morning or early afternoon, though. Otherwise the endorphins released will wake you up temporarily.
- Plan on a consistent sleep schedule. Studies have shown that the average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Not feeling sleepy? Get in bed every night at the same time anyway. You will train your mind and body to start preparing for bed, and you’ll start getting up in the morning at the same time too!
- Use lavender as an aromatherapy scent. Lavender has been proven to combat stress and depression and is a fantastic sleep aid. Burn lavender oil or place a few drops of scented water on your pillowcase before bed.
- Turn off the lights. And the laptop. And the TV. And the phone. It’s not just the lamps in the bedroom and the glowing lights from your computer monitor that are keeping you up. The glow from your phone and laptop screens is ruining your melatonin production and hindering your sleep process. Check your emails tomorrow. And that show on Netflix? It will still be queued up for the weekend. I promise.
There are a lot of extra tips and tricks out there for you to enact in your daily and weekly life that will get you ready for your wonderful wedding. You can’t help being stressed, we understand, but there are ways to banish the bad vibes at bedtime for a healthier lifestyle before (and after) your wedding day.
