Beauty starts within. You've probably heard this before, with beauty advice often touching on how what you eat has an effect on your skin. But there's another lifestyle factor that is just as important to ensure that you look gorgeous: getting enough sleep! This is especially a must in the days leading up to your wedding because looking well-rested means having a youthful and relaxed glow.

What Happens to Your Skin When You Don't Get Enough Sleep?

When you lack sleep, it is revealed on your face. You know how a night of no rest haunts your daytime hours, giving you dark under-eye circles or puffiness, as well as making your eyes look red. But shockingly, a chronic lack of sleep can also accelerate ageing . This is because it results in your body producing the stress hormone known as . When there's too much of this hormone zipping through your body, it can disintegrate collagen. Your skin needs collagen in order to remain firm and elastic. Cortisol also increases inflammation, leading to breakouts you certainly want to avoid on your big day.

The Stress and Sleep Cycle

Sometimes a lack of sleep can be as a result of stress, while other times not getting sleep can cause you to feel stressed! The two are definitely linked and stress is bad for your skin because it damages skin cells. In a , students had their skin monitored after returning from vacation, during an exam period, and during spring break. The researchers found that people who were stressed (that is, those writing exams) showed signs of their surface skin layer disintegrating - their skin cells became smaller and the proteins that hold these cells together broke down. These gaps in the skin cells might be tiny but they allow bacteria inside, ruining your flawless complexion. How to Start a Restful Beauty Routine

There's no doubt that planning for your wedding is a stressful time that might try to steal quite a few winks from you at night, but this is why it is so crucial to ensure that you find ways to relax and get enough sleep.

Make Sleep a Task. Yes, your beauty sleep is just as important as everything else on your wedding planning list, so make it a priority. Get into the habit of going to bed at the same time every night so that you program your body's internal clock to form this healthy habit.

Trade in Your Coffee . Relying on caffeinated beverages to get through all the tasks in your busy schedule can leave you feeling wired and stressed. Switch these for teas such as or chamomile that both have a calming effect.

Distract Yourself. When you're on an annoying call with your future mother-in-law or florist, try deep breathing and thinking of something fun you're going to do later, such as watch the latest Ryan Gosling movie or hitting the gym to let off all that steam. Visualization reduces stress because it helps you escape with your thoughts. Our thoughts are powerful so use them to enhance feelings of calm and wellness, and your body will follow their lead.

Take Time with Your Partner. If wedding preparations are making you and your partner spin in different directions, you need some relationship time. Go do a fun activity that will help you both feel good again and you'll also nurture your bond and feelings of love.

Take Stress Triggers Out of Your Diet. Anything that's and artificial, such as sugar or gluten, irritates your intestine. This leads to less nutrients being absorbed by your body and it increases inflammation all over your body, including your skin.

Pamper Yourself! You might not have time to head to a spa for a relaxing treatment, but you can find ways to relax throughout your day with your beauty and skincare products. Massage your favourite moisturizer or skin brightening lotion into your skin and really enjoy the feeling of how it leaves your skin smooth and luxurious. Bask in this feeling, which will help you unwind as well as feel good because you've given yourself a bit of love.

Create a Bedroom Sanctuary. Make your bedroom feel like a luxurious place that immediately relaxes you. This means that your room should be cool, dark, and quiet at night. Invest in earplugs, eye masks, or anything else you need to make it peaceful. You should also make your bedroom at night a technology-free zone. Using devices too close to bedtime, such as iPads, have been to make people feel less sleepy, take longer to head to dreamland, and they led to lower amounts of melatonin in the body - this is the hormone that regulates sleep. If you simply have to read before bed, do so from a physical book that doesn't emit light.

Getting enough sleep during your wedding preparation is important to boost your appearance and improve your mood. By de-stressing regularly and heading to bed for your eight hours of sleep a night, you will feel refreshed and energetic on your big day - and your skin will thank you by looking flawless.

Naomi Janelle Shaw is a journalist, beautician and full-time mom. After being a stay-at-home mom for seven years, she now works full-time as a freelance writer, which she enjoys because it allows her to still be at home and there with her kids in the mornings and when they come home from school. You can Follow her on Facebook.