Even with the help of a wedding planner, family, and friends, the weeks before your wedding can be full of stress and anxiety. After the beauty, joy, and fun of your wedding day, you and your spouse are probably ready for a little quiet time together. If you’re traveling far from home, you don’t want jet lag to get in the way of all your destination has to offer.
What is Jet Lag?
Your sleep-wake cycle is controlled by your circadian rhythms, regular 24-hour biological and physiological cycles. Natural light heavily influences your circadian rhythms, and when you travel, the change in the day/night schedule can throw your body out of sync.
The results – fatigue, malaise, and daytime sleepiness.
However, a little pre-trip planning can go a long way. There are a few simple ways to make sure you don’t sleep your honeymoon away.
Before You Go
For those who won’t leave on their honeymoon for a few days after the wedding, you have plenty of time to make adjustments to your schedule that will help you once you’re at your destination. If you’re leaving directly after your wedding, you might have to start making preparations a few days before despite final wedding preparations.
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Adjust Your Sleep Schedule: You can start adjusting your sleep schedule a few days before you leave. Depending on your destination, you might have to move your bedtime earlier or later, but start making 30 to 60-minute adjustments each night, progressively getting closer to the bedtime you will follow while on your honeymoon.
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Adjust Your Meal Schedule: Your bedtime isn’t the only way your body establishes its sleep-wake cycle. The timing of your meals also influences when you start to feel sleepy. Like your bedtime, start moving your meals incrementally closer to your destination mealtimes.
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Melatonin Supplements: Going to bed earlier than usual can be difficult. If you’ve got a big-time adjustment to make, consider over-the-counter melatonin supplements to help in your pre-honeymoon sleep schedule changes.
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Bright Light Therapy: If you’ll be getting up far earlier than you usually do on your honeymoon, try increasing your exposure to a bright light first thing in the morning to help adjust your circadian rhythms.
When trying to adjust your sleep schedule, it’s important to have a healthy sleep environment. Be sure that your mattress supports your preferred sleep position and doesn’t have any lumps or valleys that could be waking you during the night. Check mattress reviews if you need a new one. Try to keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet to minimize disruptions.
Upon Arrival
The excitement of stepping off the plane for a relaxing getaway is hard to beat. But, you don’t want to fall asleep as soon as you set your bag down.
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Get Outside: Natural light helps set your circadian rhythms so try to get as much natural light exposure as possible. Take a walk outside, lie on the beach, and enjoy all the sites. If the weather doesn’t allow you to be outside, try to spend time somewhere with lots of bright artificial light.
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Nap Wisely: While sleeping the afternoon away won’t help you adjust to the new time zone, a 30 to 60-minute nap won’t hurt. However, you’ll be fighting against nature so be sure to set an alarm or two.
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Stay Hydrated: Dehydration can make you feel drowsy, tired, fatigued. To give yourself the best chance of beating jet lag, make sure you’re drinking at least 64 ounces of fluid each day.
Thank you so much to The Sleep Help Institute for sharing all these amazing tips for how to beat that dreaded jet lag and get to enjoying your honeymoon ASAP!!!
