Everything You Need To Know About Pregnancy And Sleep

Pregnant and struggling to sleep through the night? Here’s everything you need to know about pregnancy and sleep.

You’re probably expecting to lose sleep once your baby is born but have you thought about how pregnancy and sleep will mix?

Even when I’m not pregnant, I always trying to prioritize sleep. Sleep is essential for your body and mind to recharge, for your heart health and has so many other benefits like boosting your immune system and increasing your productivity.

When I get enough sleep, I wake up feeling more energized, happier and I tend to mindlessly snack less too.

In this post, I’m going to tell you ALL about pregnancy and sleep, the best pregnancy sleeping positions, why you need a pregnancy pillow, and the top tips to sleep while pregnant.

This post is all about pregnancy and sleep.

Pregnancy and Sleep

Sleep can be so hard for many pregnant women. So if you’re experiencing it, you’re not alone.

Not only are there physical changes but your hormones are changing, there is a lot of new excitement and anxiety and so many other discomforts throughout pregnancy.

But sleep is an essential part of prenatal care (and living in general). It’s important to understand why sleep is important during pregnancy, common sleep problems, and what you can do to try to improve the quality of your sleep.

Why Is Sleep Important During Pregnancy?

Pregnancy and sleep go hand in hand.

Sleep is important for you as the mom so you are less fatigued and sleepy during the day. Plus, more sleep leads to a better mood, controlled appetite, improved memory, and decisiveness. You also have so much work to do including growing a placenta and carrying a heavier load around so you will feel tired more easily during pregnancy.

Sleep is important for your baby too. Not only can lack of sleep impact your labor and delivery but it can lead to pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia and high blood pressure which can be dangerous for your baby.

Why Can’t I Sleep During Pregnancy?

Believe it or not, the lack of sleep doesn’t wait to start until you have delivered your baby. For many, sleep problems arise as early as the first trimester of pregnancy.

Pregnancy insomnia is a real thing and pregnancy symptoms can make it difficult to get the kind of restful sleep you might be used to. So what can cause problems with pregnancy and sleep?

Frequent Urination

This is unavoidable for many pregnant women. Initially, you can thank your hormones for increasing your urine production. Your HCG levels will be increasing and contributing to increased blood flow to the pelvic region and kidneys.

As your baby starts to grow, your once fist-sized uterus grows and stretches to accommodate your baby. Your enlarged uterus will put pressure on your bladder causing the urge to urinate.

You can try to get longer stretches of sleep overnight by emptying your bladder fully (try leaning forward) and avoiding fluids before bed. This doesn’t mean cutting back on fluids though! Fluids are vital for you and your growing baby and dehydration can lead to urinary tract infections.

Hip Pain

Believe it or not, some pregnant women experience hip pain as early as the first trimester. Both types of pain make it extremely hard to get comfortable and stay asleep. A pregnancy pillow or regular pillow can sometimes help though.

Body Aches

It’s not uncommon to feel stiffness or back pain during pregnancy, especially after a long day. A pregnancy pillow can help alleviate any excess pressure as well as staying hydrated and trying some gentle stretching.

Restless Leg Syndrome

The constant need to move your legs can make it feel impossible to fall asleep. I speak from personal experience that restless leg syndrome isn’t a pleasant pregnancy symptom and usually comes on when I’m overtired.

It can also be related to anemia so boosting your iron intake may help. Make sure you talk to your doctor before starting any new supplements.

Leg Cramps

Leg cramps are another frustrating pregnancy symptom that impacts sleep. They can also be known as a “Charlie horse”. This type of leg cramps usually occur in the calves and can wake you from a sound sleep. Staying hydrated and incorporating light stretches can help ease them.

Expanding Belly

It’s no surprise that as you progress into the second trimester of pregnancy and third trimester of pregnancy, your belly will be growing big time. At a certain point, it gets pretty uncomfortable to sleep, especially since you can’t sleep on your back. A pregnancy pillow can really help you get into a comfortable position on your side.

Heartburn

Heartburn is one of the unpleasant first trimester body changes that begins in the first trimester and can last through the duration of your pregnancy.

Hormones are at the root of this in early pregnancy as your body is producing large amounts of progesterone and relaxin, which relaxes the smooth muscle tissues in your body including your GI tract.

This translates to food moving slowly through your digestive system and leading to bloating, gas and heartburn. Although this can be very uncomfortable for you, it does not negatively impact your growing baby.

Tips to deal with heartburn include eating slower, eating smaller meals, avoid trigger foods like fatty or acidic foods and don’t lie down immediately after eating. Tums may also help but talk to your doctor before starting to take them.

Vivid Dreams or Nightmares

These are so common during pregnancy and many women have even greater recall during pregnancy. I’m sure hormones have a part to play but pregnant women also have a lot on their minds. Your subconscious is a way to work through the thoughts and come to terms with the changes that are about to occur in your life.

There are a few things you can try to do to deal with your vivid dreams. The first is not taking them too seriously. They’re extremely common and normal among pregnant women. You can also talk to your partner about them. It can be fun, therapeutic and might even bring you closer together.

Stuffy Nose

Nasal congestion during pregnancy can be caused by inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the nose causing nasal congestion, increased blood flow to the nasal passages, and enlargement of the nasal veins. A humidifier and/or over the counter medicine (with your doctor’s approval) can help address a stuffy nose during pregnancy.

Although pregnancy symptoms sometimes make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep, getting quality sleep is incredibly important whether you’re pregnant or not.

Eating a balanced diet, incorporating exercise into your daily routine and avoiding screens before bed can go a long way. A pregnancy pillow can help too! We will talk a little more about that in this post too.

But if all else fails, your doctor is a great resource and can help you find pregnancy safe sleep aids to help you get some good quality shut-eye.

Best Sleeping Positions While Pregnant

Sleeping on your side is the best sleeping position during pregnancy. It is not recommended to sleep on your back and you won’t be able to sleep on your stomach for obvious reasons.

For those with hip pain starting as early as the first trimester of pregnancy, sleeping on your side won’t necessarily cut it. But putting a pillow between your legs/knees can dramatically help you get comfortable and ease your pain. This helps reduce the pressure and keep your legs parallel to each other.

Why You Need A Pregnancy Pillow

Pregnancy pillows might look a little crazy but they can really be a lifesaver for some pregnant women. Unlike regular pillows, pregnancy pillows are specifically designed to provide extra support in the places most commonly affected by your growing belly (and baby).

Pregnancy pillows can:

Help you adjust positions more easily
Keep your neck, back and hips aligned while you sleep
Help with hip pain by keeping your legs parallel to each other
Improve your circulation
Help aid common pregnancy symptoms such as heartburn, nasal congestion and leg cramps
Prevent you from accidentally rolling onto your back while sleeping

There are a few different types of pregnancy pillows: c-shaped, u-shaped and wedge. Each targets a specific area of your growing body.

Not every pregnant woman needs (or wants) a pregnancy pillow. But in many cases, a pregnancy pillow can dramatically help with pregnancy symptoms and make sleeping much more comfortable and enjoyable.

This post is all about pregnancy and sleep.