In this month’s guest blog from The Nutrition Professional, Michele Kingston, the focus is on one of my favourite things, sleep, and how to ensure you get as much of it as you need in the run up to your wedding day! Over to you, Michele…

Hello brides to be,

So for many of you your big day may be drawing near and with the increased excitement and anxiety your sleep can be badly affected. You may find your mind is racing with all the wedding details and you can’t get to sleep or you keep waking in the early hours of the morning. Getting your beauty sleep is crucial so you can look fabulous and rested and allow you to feel full of energy and relaxed for your big day, so read on for some tips to get you sleeping like a baby;

1)     Don’t do anything too stimulating close to bedtime, that includes not drinking caffeine after 1pm and turning off the TV and computers at least an hour before bedtime.

2)     Take some exercise every day to help tire you out, don’t exercise too close to bedtime though as it can also stimulate you.

3)     People often drink alcohol in the evening to help relax them and help them sleep, but due to the way it is metabolized it can often have you waking up in the early hours. So don’t drink more than one small glass of wine, have with food and stop 2 hours before bed.

4)     Don’t eat big meals too late at night, having a large amount of protein will take a long to digest and keep you awake.

5)     Melatonin is the sleep hormone and is made from tryptophan, which is found in foods such as fish, turkey, chicken, beans and avocados, so increase these in your diet.

6)     Green tea contains an amino acid called L-theanine, which has a calming effect on the brain so can be a good alternative to coffee in the afternoon.

7)     If you find you consistently wake up in the early hours of the morning it could be that your blood sugar is dipping too low and this wakes you up. Combat this by either eating a small snack just before bed or having a little snack by your bed to have when you wake up. This will keep your blood sugar levels up throughout the night and allow you to sleep through. A good snack would be a handful of almonds, a banana, a yoghurt or an oat cake and nut butter.

8)     Persistent insomnia can also be exacerbated by food intolerances, in which case you should find a nutritional therapist to help you figure out which foods to steer clear of go to www.bant.org.uk.

9)     Finally, find ways to relax and switch off from all the wedding planning. Have a nice bath and read a novel or do some yoga before bed.

These tips have worked wonders for my clients in the past and I am sure they will work for you too, start tonight to get a well earned rest.

I wish you a serene wedding!

Michele x