Most women in their 20s and 30s need seven and a half to eight hours of sleep—but a recent poll from the National Sleep Foundation, in Washington, DC, shows about 40 percent of them don't get it. "Start making sleep a priority now. At the very least, make sure you're getting seven hours a night," says Susan Zafarlotfi, Ph.D., director of the Sleep/Wake Disorders Clinic at Hackensack University Medical Center in NJ. Sticking to a schedule is key: Hit the sack at the same time each night and wake up at roughly the same time each morning. Otherwise, you'll mess up your circadian rhythms (a.k.a. your body's "internal clock"), which can give you that groggy, hangover-like feeling. "If you do stay up late one night," says Dr. Zafarlotfi, "don't make it a pattern."
Avoiding distractions is crucial, too. "Don't let pets into your bed, or even your bedroom, if they tend to wake you," says Dr. Zafarlotfi. "And if you can hear cars, sirens or similar sounds, invest in heavy blinds and a white-noise machine or earplugs." A fiancé's tossing and turning or cover-hogging can also make for less-than-ideal sleep conditions. Dr. Zafarlotfi's solution: "Spend some wedding-gift money on a new mattress. If you're in a full-sized bed, upgrade to at least a queen-sized. If you're able, buy a memory-foam mattress so you won't feel him moving."
Writing in a journal a few minutes before going to bed can be a good idea. "Stress is a major cause of insomnia and sleep disturbances," Dr. Zafarlotfi explains. "By writing down what you're feeling, you're unloading stressors." If you can't fall asleep after 20 to 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something relaxing like reading or knitting (avoid the computer or TV—the bright light is stimulating) until you feel sleepy, then slip between the sheets again.
If you are having trouble catching enough shut-eye, you may be tempted to ask your doctor for a little help. The popularity of prescription sleeping pills like Ambien and Lunesta has tripled in the past five years—but Dr. Zafarlotfi cautions that they shouldn't be your first line of defense, because of the potential to become dependent on them. She says taking a Tylenol PM or other OTC sleep aid is fine once in a while-although long-term overuse can lead to liver damage—but expect to be far from peppy the next day. (Don't pop one the night before your nuptials!) Your best bet for getting to the bottom of a persistent sleep problem, she says: "See your primary physician or a sleep specialist so you can start getting the slumber you need."
—Camille Noe Pagán
