The cake, the caterer, the flowers, the seating arrangement – your checklist seems to just keep growing. Unfortunately, the planning can add a significant amount of stress to your wedding jitters. As stress increases, you'll find it's harder to get a full seven to nine hours of sleep. Though stress and sleep deprivation feed off of one another, you can put a stop to the cycle. By incorporate stress management techniques into your daily routine while developing healthy sleep habits, you’ll be able to enjoy the special months before your wedding.
Wedding Stress and Sleep Deprivation
Anytime you get less than seven hours of sleep, the portion of your brain that processes emotions goes into overdrive. It becomes highly sensitive to any negative thoughts, emotions, or events.
Normally, the brain's logic and reasoning center keeps your emotions in check. However, when sleep deprived, this part of the brain becomes less active. You’re left with magnified emotions at one of the most stressful times in your life because stress causes you to lose sleep and sleep loss leads to more stress.
While you can’t get rid of all of your stress, you can manage it in healthy ways to reduce its effects. As you work on stress management and develop good sleep habits, your emotions will stay grounded so you don't have any embarrassing bridezilla moments.
Stress Management Techniques
Daily Meditation
Meditation has a powerful mental and physical impact on your body. When done regularly, it can strengthen the connection between the brain's logic and emotional centers, restoring balance to your emotions. It can also help you focus on the present moment so that wedding thoughts don't overwhelm you at bedtime.
Journaling
Sometimes it's the running list of tasks you need to accomplish that keeps you awake and ramps up your stress at night. Take a few minutes before lying in bed to write down what you want to accomplish the next day. It also gives you a place to process your emotions and leave stress on the page. Once you're done, you can close your journal and let your mind relax.
Yoga
Sore, tight muscles often begin with stress. Gentle yoga poses provide a way to relieve tension before bed. It's also been shown to reduce stress-related inflammation, improve moods, and increase energy levels.
Sleep Habits that Help
You need sleep to keep stress under control. Thankfully, sleep responds to changes in habits so your personal behaviors can help you get a few more ZZZs.
1.Keep a Consistent Bedtime
This may sound simple, but it's one of the easiest ways to enhance your sleep. The human brain thrives off of the predictability and will start to release sleep hormones to accommodate your preferred schedule.
2. Make Your Bedroom a Sanctuary
The bedroom should only serve two purposes – sleep and sex. Clean up clutter, move out your desk and gym equipment, and try to make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary. At night, keep it as dark as possible and lower the room temperature to stay comfortable.
3. Stick to a Bedtime Routine
If you have trouble falling asleep at night, a soothing bedtime routine gives you a chance to relieve tension and stress before bed. Try to perform each activity in the routine in the same order and at the same time each day, even weekends.
Conclusion
Your wedding is an exciting event that you should be able to enjoy. As you work to manage stress and get the rest you need, you and your partner will be able to grow closer as you prepare to start your life together.
