There are many factors that may affect your sleep during pregnancy.
Often, especially in the first and third trimester, you are getting up frequently to use the bathroom or you may need to get up because of nausea in the early morning hours. This interruption of normal sleep may make it difficult to go back to sleep or keep you from getting into a deep, restful sleep.
Other common situations that may interfere with your sleep are heartburn, leg cramps, or round ligament pain which is the uncomfortable lower abdominal sensation that increases in the second trimester due to the uterus stretching. Later in the pregnancy you may have mild irregular contractions that keep you awake off and on through the night. Of course, if your baby is very busy at night because you have been rocking him/her to sleep all day while you walk around, that movement can keep you up as well. For some women, the thoughts of labor and birth or even parenting may cause anxiety that interferes with sleep.
So, what are some things that you can do? I’m really glad that you asked. The following suggestions may help you improve your sleep during pregnancy.
- Use as many pillows as needed and sleep on your side which will also help blood flow to your baby but don’t panic if you wake up on your back
- Have a sleep routine that includes a relaxing activity right before bed such as reading, a warm bath, or yoga
- Keep your room dark, cool and free of electronic devices
- You may want to try a sound machine
- Turn off the TV at least 30-60 minutes before going to bed
- For some women a cup of warm milk is helpful
- Do not eat within three hours of going to bed as this may increase your heartburn
- Stay active during the day and include stretching exercises into your daily routine
- Practice the breathing techniques that you are learning for labor the last 10 minutes before bed
