7 excellent tips to sleep better during pregnancy.

 

As early as the beginning of pregnancy, but especially in the second and third trimesters, one of the symptoms that comes with pregnancy is the difficulty of sleeping peacefully. In this article I am going to give you practical tips that will help you tremendously to sleep much better during pregnancy.

Why sleeping properly during pregnancy is important?

A good night’s sleep is vitally essential for you and your growing baby. However, sleep tends to evade pregnant women when they need it the most. While lying down, your kidneys find it easier to flush excess fluid and wastes from your system, and blood flow to your placenta increases. During sleep, also you secrete more hormones involved in the growth, repair, and regeneration of your tissues. Even though rest is so important, however, most women have difficulty sleeping during pregnancy, especially in the last few months of the third trimester. No wonder, about 8 in every ten pregnant women complain of getting insufficient sleep in the later staged of pregnancy.

Why sleeping becomes difficult during pregnancy?

The more your pregnancy progresses, the more problems you will have to sleep peacefully. This is mainly due to the fact that your body is working hard to supply everything necessary for this new life that is unfolding within you, and that the hormones are not going to give you a break during these nine months.

Even if you want to, you can find yourself in the situation that you feel sleep deprived, and believe it or not, it is a physiological response that is preparing your body for the first months with a newborn. Unfortunately, a baby’s metabolism does not easily adjust to only work during the day, and therefore the mother’s metabolism, even though the baby is still in the womb, already begins to prepare for what will come next.

Regardless of the fact that it is noticeable, and almost normal that you spend a few months with difficulty sleeping during pregnancy, there are some tips that will help you a lot, here I tell you what they are:

1. Try to keep stress under control.

In order to achieve a relaxed night’s sleep, it is very important that you pay attention to the things you do throughout the day. This includes keeping stress levels under control. If you have a day where you have had many emotions, stress, worries, a lot of work, among other things, the most certain thing is that your night is also going to be worrying. Therefore, during pregnancy, you must prioritize a practical balance between responsibilities, and your relaxation. There are different relaxation techniques that you can include in your daily routine, perhaps implement a routine for self-care as well that will allow you to unwind and soothe, and get prepared for a good night sleep.

2. Eat something before you go to sleep.

During pregnancy a small snack before bed will be your best ally. But not any snack. Here I am going to give you a small list of the foods that will help you fall asleep, without giving you other discomfort.

Foods such as whole grain breads, dairy products, non-fatty-meats like turkey and fruits, contain a natural sleep-inducing amino acid called tryptophan, which, as the name already indicates, will help you sleep, in addition to being easy on the intestines and that also do not produce heartburn. Also foods that contain whole grains contain complex carbohydrates that provide a gradual but constant release of energy into the bloodstream, which causes the sugar levels to remain stable, avoiding hunger pains in the middle of the night.

During the afternoon and in the early hours of the night, avoid consuming products that contain caffeine. Avoid over-the-counter sleep aids as they can be harmful to your baby as well.

3. Prioritize a bed suitable for a good night sleep during pregnancy.

During pregnancy, a firm mattress is not always synonymous of comfort. That is why if you have a mattress that is soft, is actually better. If you are in the market looking for a mattress during pregnancy, try not to be so firm. And if on the other hand, you already have a firm mattress and you can’t change it, then it’s probably a good time to invest in good pillows, and a pregnancy pillow designed to hug and contour your body in the right places for more comfort.

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4. Learn to cut down the trips to the toilet at night.

If trips to the toilet during pregnancy are shortening your sleep, I have a good recommendation. To avoid this you should avoid eating foods or drinks that are diuretic after three in the afternoon. You should avoid drinking beverages that contain sugars and caffeine, such as coffee, sodas or tea, in addition to cranberry juices, and asparagus.

Before going to bed, go to the bathroom and empty your bladder. And if in the middle of the night you wake up still wanting to go, don’t wait long, the faster you go, the faster you can get back to sleep.

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5. Best positions to sleep during pregnancy.

During the first trimester of pregnancy, any position is good, the one that is most comfortable for you is fine. As your belly grows, the sleeping position should be adjusted to prioritize the baby’s health. The recommended position for the second and third trimesters of pregnancy is on your side.

Keep this tips in mind: If you suffer from heartburn, perhaps sleeping in your right side will help you with that. If you don’t, perhaps sleeping on the left side will be better as the big blood vessels of the human body passes parallels to the spine, and so sleeping on the Right will put added pressure to those blood vessels (Aorta and Vena Cava).

6. Learn how to relax your mind to sleep.

There are activities that induce sleep naturally. Learning to relax your mind before nighttime is essential to have a pleasant night.

These activities include:

• Read your favorite book.
• Write a few pages of a pregnancy journal.
• Relax a bit with your partner, talking helps clear your mind. Obviously, avoid arguments or fights at this time.
• Listen to music for relaxation, meditation, for sleep, white sounds etc.
• Watch a romantic movie with a happy ending to relax.

7. Avoid fighting sleeplessness.

Getting irritated by the lack of sleep, will only make the situation worse. On those nights where you can’t get to sleep, it is best to try reading a book, relaxing in another way, perhaps listening to white sounds, or perhaps treat yourself with a warm glass of milk. When you feel that your body is ready, go back to bed and try to close your eyes, focus on your breathing, prioritize a comfortable position, and you will see that sleep will come. Keep in mind that this state of sleep deprivation will not harm your baby in any way.

 

Related posts you might enjoy.

6 Practical tips to survive the first trimester of pregnancy.

How to deal with gestational diabetes for a healthier pregnancy.

Pregnancy symptoms for the third trimester.

Final thoughts about tips to sleep better during pregnancy.

As you can see in this article, lack of sleep is perhaps one of those symptoms that you will dislike the most during pregnancy. At least I hated it, because I’ve always slept very well. But motherhood changes a woman’s life completely, and is all for a good cause. Try not to despair, everything will return to normal in a few months.

I hope this article has been useful to you. For more helpful tips about pregnancy, stay tuned.

Zadi, xo.