Best way to sleep while pregnant

Pregnancy is a time when you need to pay particular attention to your health. During pregnancy, the mother’s body changes rapidly. Any health issues may impact on the development and growth of the baby. Most people know that you need a balanced diet and enough exercise, but having enough sleep is vital as well. Many pregnant women feel tired. This is most common in the first few months of pregnancy and again towards the end of pregnancy. This means that women will often need to spend more time resting or sleeping.

Along with the changes to the body that occur during pregnancy, there are also changes in sleep patterns. These are quite normal. As the pregnancy progresses, women have less deep sleep and wake up more often during the night. Sleep is less refreshing, which is why expectant mothers should spend more time in bed asleep. Sometimes an afternoon nap of an hour or two will help.

During pregnancy, you may find yourself wrestling in bed trying to get comfortable before falling asleep. When you are pregnant your body goes through a variety of changes causing your regular sleeping positions to no longer work for you.

Reasons for your discomfort may include:

• Increased size of the abdomen
• Back pain
• Heartburn
• Shortness of breath
• Insomnia

The best sleep position during pregnancy is “sleep on side” (SOS). Even better is to sleep on your left side. Sleeping on your left side will increase the amount of blood and nutrients that reach the placenta and your baby.

Keep your legs and knees bent, and put a pillow between your legs.

• If you find that you are having problems with back pain, use the “sleep on side” position, and try placing a pillow under your abdomen as well.
• If you are experiencing heartburn during the night, you may want to try propping your upper body with pillows.
• In late pregnancy, you may experience shortness of breath. Try lying on your side or propped up with pillows.

These suggestions may not sound completely comfortable, especially if you are used to sleeping on your back or stomach, but try them out. You may find that they work. Keep in mind that you may not stay in one position all night, and rotating positions is fine.

Important things to know about pregnancy and sleep

• Having enough good sleep when you’re pregnant is important for both you and your baby.
• If you’re pregnant, you don’t sleep as deeply and may wake up during the night. This means that you need to spend more time in bed.
• This is especially so in the last three months of pregnancy.
• If you start snoring while you’re pregnant, or stop breathing during sleep, you should speak with a doctor about it. It may be a sign of other medical problems that may affect your health and also that of your growing baby.

How can I improve my sleep during pregnancy?

Most expectant mothers need more sleep than usual and should try to optimize the quality of their sleep while they are pregnant. You should follow the simple tips in our Good Sleep Habits page. Sleep may be particularly bad during the third trimester. In these last 2 or 3 months, women often have frequent trips to the toilet at night, indigestion, leg movements or discomfort from the pregnant belly. There are some simple things to do that can help each of these problems:

• To manage indigestion, raising the head of the bed or sleeping on more pillows is helpful. Antacids may be used, but in moderation.
• To reduce the number of toilet trips during the night, be sure to go to the toilet just before going to bed and avoid drinking too much in the evening.
• If moving your legs during sleep is a problem, you should reduce the amount of tea, coffee and other caffeine drinks that you have. This may help.
• Obstetricians and midwives usually suggest that women try to sleep on their side during the later months of pregnancy. This may lessen discomfort and also help with the healthy growth of the baby.
• If there is loud, frequent snoring or breathing pauses, discuss this with your doctor. Sometimes a sleep study may need to be done.

Women should look after their health to have a healthy baby. Sleep is one of the three pillars of health – you need to have a good diet, moderate exercise and enough sleep.

Is snoring linked with pregnancy?

You may start to snore during pregnancy. You don’t need to worry about this if it only occurs occasionally. But if it occurs often, is very loud or interrupts sleep, you should speak to your doctor or midwife. Snoring during pregnancy may indicate breathing problems during the night. Sometimes mothers who start snoring have also developed high blood pressure. For the health of both you and your baby, you need to look into this.

Are breathing pauses during sleep normal in pregnancy?

It is normal to have very occasional breathing pauses during the night, whether or not you are pregnant. However they may become more frequent and noticeable during pregnancy. Sometimes these breathing pauses end with a snore or gasping. The sleep disruption may cause excessive sleepiness during the day. If you or your partner have noticed breathing pauses, you should mention it to your doctor.

Are leg movements linked with pregnancy?

As pregnancy proceeds, some women (or their partners) notice that they move their legs a lot just at the time that they go to sleep. There may be small jerks and kicks, or there may be quite large movements that keep going all through the night. If this gets in the way of sleep, you should see a doctor to treat it. The symptoms usually get much better or go away after the baby is born. Some mothers-to-be also experience Restless Legs Syndrome.

How may sleep disorders affect the health of pregnant mother?

Breathing pauses, snoring and other sleep disorders can increase the health risks of pregnancy to the mother. This may include high blood pressure, diabetes or even pre-eclampsia. Mothers who don’t have enough sleep may feel anxious and depressed. This may persist after the baby is born. Acting on these problems early helps simplify treatment.

How may sleep disorders affect the health of the developing baby?

The baby might not grow normally if the mother has health problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes. If the mother has breathing pauses and variable oxygen levels during the night, the baby might be smaller and not be as healthy at the time of birth.

What sleep positions during pregnancy should I avoid?

• Sleeping on your back: This can cause problems with backaches, breathing, the digestive system, hemorrhoids, low blood pressure and cause a decrease in circulation to your heart and your baby. This is a result of your abdomen resting on your intestines and major blood vessels (the aorta and vena cava).
• Sleeping on your stomach: When you are farther along in your pregnancy, your abdomen undergoes physical changes and makes it more difficult for you to lay on your stomach.

First trimester pregnant

The first trimester spans the initial 12 weeks of a standard pregnancy. Within days of fertilization, the fertilized egg will grow into a larger cellular body known as a blastocyst and attach itself to the inner wall of the uterus.

This implantation will trigger a spike in the body’s level of progesterone, a natural hormone that regulates the various stages of the reproductive cycle.

Progesterone keeps the uterus muscle relaxed and boosts the body’s immune system. This hormone is considered a soporific hormone, meaning that it can induce early sleep onset. As a result, higher levels of progesterone can lead to both excessive daytime sleepiness and disrupted sleep at night. These feelings of fatigue can be strong enough that a pregnant woman may mistake them for cold or flu symptoms.

Hormonal changes may cause a pregnant woman to develop insomnia symptoms. Sleep onset insomnia refers to difficulty falling asleep at normal bedtimes, while sleep maintenance insomnia is the difficulty remaining asleep. Increased progesterone levels can lead to either type of insomnia.

Additionally, the blastocyst will apply pressure on the uterine wall, which is located near the bladder. This pressure, along with the progesterone boost, will increase urination frequency. Nighttime bathroom visits may become more frequent during the first trimester, which may impact the ability to remain asleep through the night.

The third through eighth weeks of the first trimester, known as the embryonic stage, are characterized by significant bodily changes for the mother and baby. As the embryo’s major organs begin to develop, it will grow to up to one inch in length. These adjustments will cause the pregnant women to experience serious cramping, particularly in the pelvic region.

The mother’s breasts will also begin swelling as the body prepares for nursing. These aches and pains can easily contribute to disrupted sleep. Additionally, pregnant women in their first trimester often experience excessive nausea, an affliction commonly called morning sickness.

By the ninth week, the embryo will have grown into a fetus, and the uterus will be the size of a large tomato. More cramping, swelling and discomfort typically occur in the four remaining weeks of the first trimester.

Sleep tips for the first trimester

Here are a few tips for reducing physical pain and getting enough sleep during the first trimester:

• Nap frequently to counteract the effects of rising progesterone levels during the first trimester. Experts suggest napping in the afternoon in order to maintain a standard nighttime sleep cycle; two catnaps, each lasting between 30 minutes to an hour, are considered more effective than one long nap.
• Exercising in the morning can also help you maintain healthy sleep cycle.
• Avoid consuming large amounts of fluid in the evening. This should reduce your urge to urinate in the middle of the night.
• If you experience morning sickness, try snacking on light, salty foods like popcorn or pretzels.
• If you’re looking to buy a new mattress, some are better for pregnant women than others. The ideal mattress for pregnancy will conform to the body, keeping the spine aligned while providing enough support to remain comfortable. Temperature neutrality is also an important consideration, as many pregnant women sleep hotter than normal.

Second trimester pregnant

The second trimester is the longest, usually lasting from the 13th week to the 27th week. An expecting mother’s experience during the second trimester will largely depend on whether or not this is her first pregnancy.

First-time mothers often begin to feel the baby move at around 20 weeks, but women who have already given birth may notice these sensations earlier in the trimester. At any rate, the fetus will grow considerably over the course of this trimester; by week 27, the average fetus is 10 inches in length and weighs more than a pound.

The second trimester is considered the best trimester in terms of the mother’s sleep patterns. The body will be mostly acclimated to the rising progesterone levels, so daytime fatigue and sleep onset problems are usually less prominent. Morning sickness is also uncommon after the first trimester. This is the best time to establish a healthy sleep schedule that can be maintained into the third trimester.

However, some pregnant women may encounter some physical symptoms during the second trimester that negatively impact sleep quality and quantity. Heartburn, for one, is quite common during this period, and lying down can often increase the discomfort of acid reflux.

Nocturnal leg cramps can also be an issue, particularly pains in the calf muscles. Although these will probably become more pronounced during the third trimester, cramping often begins during the second. Many pregnant women experience cramping at night, which can lead to sleep disruption. If an expecting mother is prone to lucid dreams, these may intensify during the second trimester, as well.

Another concern during the second trimester is preeclampsia, a complication characterized by high blood pressure. Preeclampsia symptoms typically begin to materialize after 20 weeks of pregnancy; these symptoms include headaches, light sensitivity, nausea, shortness of breath and decreased urination. Preeclampsia is somewhat rare, but the condition can be fatal for both the mother and the fetus.

Sleep tips for the second trimester

Follow these guidelines to sleep soundly and remain healthy during the second trimester:

• Avoid eating and drinking certain things to ensure these second-trimester symptoms won’t be too severe. Spicy or fried food can lead to heartburn flare-ups, while soft drinks and other carbonated beverages can worsen the effects of leg cramping.
• Try to stand or sit upright for at least four hours after eating in order to ease the digestive process and mitigate your heartburn.
• If you experience a leg cramp in bed, try flexing your leg and/or foot muscles to relieve the temporary pain.
• Consult your physician immediately if you begin to experience symptoms of preeclampsia, or notice a sharp rise in your blood pressure levels.

Third trimester pregnant

Last is the third trimester, which begins during the 28th week and lasts until childbirth. The average pregnancy spans 40 weeks in length, but some mothers may deliver as late as week 42 or 43.

The third trimester is a period of extraordinary fetal growth. Unfortunately, these developments can cause major aches and pains for expecting mothers. The majority of pregnant women experience severe lower back pain during the third trimester due to the excess weight around their midsection. Expecting mothers are also most likely to have nightmares during the third trimester.

Leg cramping may become more intense. Frequent urination spells will also return as the fetus grows and eventually settles in the lower pelvic region. All of these factors can disrupt sleep routines; the vast majority pregnant women wake up between three and six times each night during their third trimesters. For this reason, the third trimester is considered a more extreme version of the first.

In addition to insomnia brought on by physical discomfort, pregnant women in their third trimester are also prone to other serious sleep disorders. Up to 34 percent of pregnant women will experience restless leg syndrome, a condition characterized by painful tingling or itchy sensations beneath the skin. restless legs syndrome is most prevalent in the third trimester.

Restless legs syndrome symptoms can strike at any time, but are most commonly reported at night or after long periods of sitting. restless legs syndrome has been linked to iron and folate deficiencies. A doctor may prescribe supplements to alleviate some of the symptoms. However, there is no cure for restless legs syndrome. The good news: in most cases, restless legs syndrome symptoms disappear after childbirth.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is another commonly reported sleep disorder among women in their third trimester. obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the airway is partially or completely blocked, causing shallow breathing or loss of breath during sleep. Many women snore during pregnancy due to swollen nasal passages, and snoring can quickly evolve into obstructive sleep apnea, particularly in women who were obese prior to their pregnancy weight gain.

Obstructive sleep apnea in pregnant mothers is a serious issue because the lost air supply can lead to hormonal surges powerful enough to compromise fetal health. obstructive sleep apnea has also been linked to an increased risk for preeclampsia.

Sleep tips for the third trimester

During the third trimester, it’s important to prepare for the worst sleep of your pregnancy and make yourself as comfortable as possible leading up to bedtime. Here are a few tips for making it through the third trimester as comfortably as possible.

• Reduce fluid intake in the late afternoon or evening.
• Make sure to completely empty your bladder during your final urination before bed. Leaning completely forward while peeing can help.
• Avoid anything that irritates your digestive system, and consume plenty of iron-rich foods to help stave off restless legs syndrome and excessive leg cramping.
• Stretching, light exercise, and meditation before bed can help you fall asleep more quickly.
• Sleeping on your left side may relieve pressure on your lower back. This will also boost your breathing circulation and help prevent apnea. Blood flow to the fetus, uterus and kidneys is best when laying on your left side.
• For maximum comfort in bed, place pillows between your knees, behind your back and beneath the underside of your stomach.