Post-Wedding Blues: Sleepless Nights After Tying The Knot

It's completely normal to struggle with sleep the night before your wedding. Whether it's due to excitement, anxiety, or restless thoughts, there are many reasons why you might find yourself lying awake. Luckily, there are several strategies you can use to increase your chances of getting a good night's rest before your big day. These include creating a relaxing environment, minimising screen time, cutting back on caffeine, trying relaxation techniques, and setting the right mood in your room. Additionally, it's important to maintain a consistent bedtime routine and wind down an hour before bed. By incorporating these tips, you can improve your sleep and increase your chances of feeling rested and restored for your wedding day.

Reduce screen time before bed

It's completely normal to struggle with sleep the night before your wedding. Your mind might be racing with excitement or nerves, and you might find yourself doom-scrolling on TikTok or another social media platform. One way to combat this is to reduce your screen time before bed.

The blue light emitted by phones, tablets, laptops, and TVs can affect your body's natural production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you feel tired and ready for sleep. Reducing your screen time before bed can help you fall asleep more easily and improve your overall sleep quality. Here are some tips to help you reduce your screen time before bed:

• Use Nighttime Mode: Enable the "nighttime mode" or "night mode" on your devices, which reduces blue light emissions and dims the display brightness. If your device doesn't have this feature, manually adjust the settings to reduce the brightness.
• Make Your Bedroom a Screen-Free Zone: Remove all electronic devices, including phones, tablets, and TVs, from your bedroom. This creates a relaxing environment conducive to sleep and removes the temptation to scroll or check your devices.
• Dim the Lighting: Keep the lighting in your bedroom dim a couple of hours before bedtime. Bright lights can disrupt your body's melatonin production and interfere with your sleep-wake schedule. Opt for warm, gentle lighting to create a soothing atmosphere.
• Establish a Relaxing Bedtime Routine: Instead of scrolling through your phone or watching TV, engage in relaxing activities that don't involve screens. This can include reading a book, listening to a podcast, practising breathwork or meditation, or enjoying a warm bath.
• Set a Time Limit: Cut off screen time at least 30 minutes to one hour before bedtime. This gives your mind a chance to unwind and relax before sleep. You can also try setting a specific time each night when you stop using your devices, helping you establish a consistent bedtime routine.
• Replace Screen Time with Other Activities: Instead of scrolling through social media, try swapping it for a good book or listening to a soothing podcast. These activities can help you unwind, engage your imagination, and distract you from any wedding-related stress.

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and heavy foods before bed

If you're struggling to sleep after your wedding, it's important to consider what you're consuming in the hours leading up to bedtime. Here are some tips to avoid the negative impacts of caffeine, alcohol, and heavy foods before bed:

Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant that can affect your sleep, even if you don't feel its initial effects. The effects of caffeine can linger for hours, disrupting your sleep stages without you realizing it. To minimize its impact on your sleep, it's best to avoid caffeinated products at least eight hours before bedtime. This includes coffee, tea, soft drinks, and pre-workout drinks. If you're highly sensitive to caffeine, you may want to stop consuming it earlier in the day, around noon, or switch to decaffeinated versions.

Alcohol

While alcohol can initially make you feel sleepy, it can disrupt your sleep later in the night. To avoid this, it's recommended to avoid alcohol at least three hours before bed. This will help you fall asleep more easily and improve your sleep quality.

Heavy Foods

Consuming a heavy meal close to bedtime can affect your sleep. Eating a large meal just an hour before bedtime can alter your sleep/wake cycles by redirecting blood flow to your gut for digestion, reducing blood flow to your brain. Therefore, it's best to avoid heavy meals at least two hours before bed and opt for lighter, easily digestible snacks if you feel hungry. Some good options include a bowl of berries, Greek yogurt, or apple slices with peanut butter.

By being mindful of your caffeine, alcohol, and food intake in the evening, you can improve your chances of a restful night's sleep after your wedding.

Try relaxation techniques like meditation and breathing exercises

If you're struggling to sleep after your wedding, it can be helpful to try relaxation techniques such as meditation and breathing exercises. These practices can help to calm your mind and body, allowing you to fall asleep more easily. Here are some specific methods you can try:

Breathing Exercises:

• Diaphragmatic breathing: This technique helps to slow your breathing, decrease your oxygen needs, and strengthen your diaphragm. Lie on your back, placing one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Breathe slowly through your nose, keeping the hand on your chest still while the hand on your stomach rises and falls. Eventually, aim for your chest to remain still while breathing.
• 4-7-8 breathing technique: Exhale completely with a gentle whooshing sound. Inhale silently through your nose for a count of four seconds. Hold your breath for seven seconds, then exhale for a full eight seconds, making a whooshing sound. Repeat this cycle at least four times.
• Bhramari pranayama: Close your eyes and take deep breaths. Cover your ears with your hands and place your index fingers above your eyebrows, with the rest of your fingers over your eyes. Gently press on the sides of your nose and focus on your brow area. Keep your mouth closed and breathe out slowly through your nose, making a humming sound. Repeat this process five times.
• Three-part breathing: Take a long, deep inhale, followed by a full exhale. Focus on your body and how it feels. After a few cycles, slow down your exhale to be twice as long as your inhale.
• Alternate nasal breathing: Sit with crossed legs. Place your left hand on your knee and your right thumb against your nose. Exhale fully, then close your right nostril and inhale through your left nostril. Open your right nostril and exhale through it while closing the left. Continue this rotation for five minutes, ending with an exhale through your left nostril.
• Buteyko breathing: Gently close your mouth and breathe through your nose at a natural pace for 30 seconds. Breathe intentionally in and out through your nose once more. Pinch your nose closed until you need to breathe again, then inhale and exhale deeply through your nose.
• The Papworth method: Sit up straight and take deep, methodical breaths in and out, counting to four for each inhale and exhale. Focus on your abdomen rising and falling, listening for your breath sounds to come from your stomach.
• Box breathing: Sit with your back straight and try to push all the air out of your lungs as you exhale. Inhale slowly through your nose, counting to four in your head. Hold your breath and count to four again, then slowly exhale through your mouth.

Meditation and Visualization Techniques:

• Body scans: Lie down comfortably and take a few deep breaths to relax. Bring your attention to your feet, noticing any sensations or tension. Acknowledge any discomfort and visualize it leaving your body through your breath. Gradually move your focus to different parts of your body, working your way up until you've scanned your entire body.
• Progressive muscle relaxation: Tense and relax different muscle groups, one by one, starting with your toes and working your way up. Curl your toes, then relax them. Flex your feet backward, then relax. Move to your calves, thighs, and continue until you've done your entire body.
• Visualization to Release Energy: Imagine that the stress and anxiety inside you are a coloured gas filling your body. As you exhale, visualize this gas being expelled and your body relaxing. Gather the negative energy into a ball and shoot it out of the top of your head like a shooting star.
• Yoga nidra: Lie flat on your back with your hands apart. Think of a positive phrase or mantra. Increase your body awareness by visualizing different parts of your body. Focus on each breath and the airflow in and out. Recall personal experiences, both good and bad, visualizing them as if they're happening in the present moment. Repeat the positive phrase and return your awareness to your body and surroundings.

Create a cool, dark, and comfortable sleep environment

A cool, dark, and comfortable sleep environment is essential for a good night's rest. Here are some tips to achieve that:

Darkness

To make your bedroom dark, use room-darkening shades, heavy lined draperies, or blackout curtains to block out any external light. If you work night shifts or need to sleep during the day, opaque window coverings are especially important. Avoid blinds, as they can let in too much light. Also, consider turning off or covering lights from devices like phones, tablets, and laptops, as the blue light from these screens can disrupt your sleep.

Cool Temperature

A cool bedroom temperature can promote better sleep. Aim for a temperature between 60 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 22.0 degrees Celsius). A slightly cooler temperature signals to your body that it's time to sleep, and it can help you fall and stay asleep more easily.

Comfort

Comfort in your bedroom is key. Choose a mattress that suits your firmness preference and provides adequate support and pressure point relief. Select pillows that support your neck and back, and bedding that feels soft and cosy. Regularly washing your bedding keeps it feeling fresh and reduces allergens. Additionally, consider adding personal touches like cherished objects or meaningful art to make your space feel welcoming and relaxing.

Establish a bedtime routine and stick to it

Establishing a bedtime routine is a great way to train your brain and body to know that it's bedtime. Dr Anna Persaud, the CEO of This Works, recommends starting to unwind at least an hour before bed by stepping away from blue light and mental stimulants such as emails and social media.

• Dim the lights: Lowering the lighting creates a cozy and intimate atmosphere that promotes relaxation. Soft lighting signals to your brain that it's time to wind down and prepares it for sleep.
• Swap screen time for a book: Blue light from electronic devices can confuse your body's circadian rhythm and make it difficult to fall asleep. Instead, opt for reading a book to ease your mind and engage your imagination.
• Incorporate breathwork or meditation: These practices are proven methods for calming the mind and soothing the body. They help you quiet racing thoughts and release any stress, anxiety, or excitement that may be keeping you awake.
• Listen to a podcast: Sleep podcasts are designed to help you relax and slow down your mind. The gentle narration, calming sounds, and comforting stories create a soothing environment that gradually lulls you to sleep.
• Consider aromatherapy: Aromatherapy can help alleviate stress and anxiety, which are common culprits of insomnia. Scents like lavender, eucalyptus, chamomile, and jasmine have relaxing properties that stimulate your brain's relaxation response.
• Turn down the temperature: Sleeping in a cooler environment can enhance sleep quality. A temperature of around 68 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal, as it signals to your body that it's time to rest.
• Get out of bed if you can't sleep: If you find yourself tossing and turning, get out of bed and engage in a calming activity like reading or sipping herbal tea. This technique helps break the association between your bed and frustration or restlessness.

Remember, the key to establishing a successful bedtime routine is consistency. Stick to your routine each night to train your brain and improve your sleep quality.

Frequently asked questions