Tag Archives: pregnancy and sleep
Pregnancy and Sleep
Pregnancy Sleep – First Trimester
Every woman who is conceiving has a problem in sleeping. It is quiet natural that pregnancy and sleep doesn’t click as one. Actually, you may sleep more than usual during the first trimester of your pregnancy. It’s normal to feel tired as your body works to protect and nurture the developing baby. The placenta which is the organ that nourishes the baby until birth is just forming, your body is making more blood, and your heart is pumping faster.
Here are some tips to overcome the sleeping problem during pregnancy. This will help you in the initial stages of pregnancy.
Sleeping is Important
On first trimester of your pregnancy, you’re likely to be very tired and very sleepy as well regardless how many hours you slept earlier. This is purely because of huge changes to your body physically and your body is surged with an increased of progesterone hormone which is thought to induce feelings of sleepiness.
The tiredness which is sometimes a bit too much experienced by pregnant women during their first trimester will likely to continue until the development of the placenta, which will produce the progesterone in which are normally done by corpus luteum. With this event starting on second trimester of pregnancy, the progesterone hormone level will start to fall.
You will not feel relaxed
The early stage of pregnancy is the best period to begin practicing the lying pose while you sleep. Sleeping during pregnancy on the left side is highly recommended during the second trimester of your pregnancy. While lying with pillow providing support on the lower back, bent the knees slightly and this will give you a slightly more comfortable sleeping posture. With added help from L shape pillow on your head will make you feel even more cozier.
Plus, left side sleeping may assist to reduce the feeling of nausea and also pressures on growing breasts. The sooner you get used to this position, the better you’ll be able to sleep when your belly is bulging.”
You need to face urinary problems
On the first trimester, the progesterone hormone which assist with sleeping will starts surging throughout the body.You may go to the toilet numerous times each night with the extra fluid surging in your body, and it will be tough to be relaxed.
There is a companion for you
Fatigue is a problem which will make you feel uneasy and tired all the time. Try to take short nap during the afternoon or maybe after work to help battle the fatigue even if you have a good night sleep the day before. Also try not to take longer nap or late nap as this might disrupt your night time sleep patterns.
One may found that she start to experience some vivid, weird dreams on the first trimester pregnancy. This is normal and is probably caused by the combination of progesterone and estrogen hormones. One may also experience waking at night as well.
Pregnancy Sleep – Second Trimester
The second trimester of pregnancy is a fun time! Feeling your baby move, starting to wear maternity clothes and of course, the end of morning sickness make this a very special time. It’s also the time of a lot of prenatal testing and growing questions about birth and parenting. This free guide will help you along the way.
The delightful feeling
A lot of pregnant women will feel much better during the second trimester. The vomiting sensation and feeling nausea all the time will wear off, mood swing will stabilize and also feel more energetic as well. This is one of the best time to deal with the many task required before the arrival of the baby.
During this stage, you will likely to gain weight faster and for the rest of the pregnancy period, which means you will need to shop for some maternity clothes.
To have normal sleep
Once you reach mid-pregnancy, many care givers recommend that you avoid sleeping on the back and sleep on your side especially on the left side, which may improve blood flow to your placenta and reduce swelling. To make side-sleeping more comfortable, you may want to place a pillow between your legs, under your hip, or behind your back.
Have good routines like exercise, healthy food and regular sleep. These will help in your child’s growth.
Work out properly
Do some mild exercise which include walking as this will greatly improve your overall health. Drink lots of water during this time. During pregnancy, your feet will swell. So try to get more rest and lift your feet up with pillow if required.
It is important to stand and move around more frequently in order to improve your circulation. Exercise is an important part of a healthy pregnancy. It will help minimize many pregnancy-related problems, such as excess weight gain, varicose veins, problems sleeping and constipation. Pregnancy exercise will also prepare you for delivery and ensure a faster post-partum recovery.
Managing sleeping problems
Many pregnant women say it’s hard to sleep because they can’t get comfortable, need to run to the bathroom constantly, suffer from leg pain, and are excited and anxious about their baby’s arrival. With so many emotional and also physical changes happening, it’s no surprise that 8 out of 10 women suffer from insomnia and also other sleeping problems on their pregnancy.
Consult your GP if you experience some sleep disorder. But bear in mind that suffering from imsomnia is normal during pregnancy although it is frustrating at times.
Pregnancy Sleep – Third Trimester
Most women have trouble sleeping at some stage of their pregnancy, and a good night’s sleep may be a distant memory as the birth gets closer. Find out what to expect sleep-wise during your third trimester, and why it’s happening. As your pregnancy moves into its final phase, it may be hard to remember what it’s like to have a good night’s sleep.
Trouble in Sleeping
Sleeping has becomes a major issue for new mother during the third trimester pregnancy as you suffer from heartburn, leg cramps, joints pain and also frequently needing to empty the bladder, while at the same time trying to adjust the tummy into the perfectly comfortable position to sleep. There are however a few other things you can try to get a better sleep at night.
Urinary Problems in the Final Stage
The growing baby inside starts to press against your bladder, which means more frequent toilet trips during this third trimester pregnancy. You can try not to consume any water hours before bedtime to reduce the urine production. You can replenish the water intake during day time and try empty your bladder just before you settle in for the night. One tips is to lean forward when urinating as this will ensure you empty the bladder completely .
How to avoid Heart Burn
Indigestion or heartburn is often a dilemma especially in your pregnancy’s final stages. Medical expert advice not to consume spicy meals during dinner time and avoide heavy meal as well. Drink milk or consume a banana just before bed time as it may assist with the settling of your stomach. Also, have a fizzy water bottle next to you or where you can access easily during the night as this will help to reduce the acidity level.
With all that said, I hope the above tips will help you get a good sleep during your pregnancy.
Pregnancy and Sleep
Pregnancy Sleep
Though resting and taking a good sleep is considered very important during pregnancy however pregnancy and sleeping will becomes very hard as your body is undergoing several changes and physically your body is preparing itself to give birth to a new life. Though you may feel tired and require to rest more in this period but strangely sleep is something far apart your eyes. Due to the changing physical conditions you require to change sleeping positions according to every trimester and this may not be very easy for you always.
You may observe that you are sleeping more in the first trimester as your body may require more energy to cope with the increasing need of the developing baby. Though even this abundant sleep can not be called a sound sleep as your growing uterus may build pressure on the bladder and you may require visiting the washroom numerous times at nights.
As soon as the symptoms of this trimester fade away, you should try to develop a sleeping pattern in the second three months of pregnancy to make yourself comfortable in the following days. This can be done through setting up a time to sleep and wake up every day so that it becomes a habit and comes on easy later on.
As your pregnancy develops many women complain of not getting a sound sleep. This is mainly due to the increasing weight of the fetus because of which finding a comfortable position to sleep in gets difficult.
Also complains of having frequent vivid dreams during the last stages of pregnancy is also reported. This occurs as a reaction to the changing hormones in the body as it prepares itself for birth and can reflect the fears of a woman of how she would cope with her coming life.
Though it is not a concerning factor on how women lack sound sleep during pregnancy and sleeping however there are some measures that can be taken to reduce the effect of this sleeping disorder on the usual sleeping pattern. Some find it beneficial and may increase sleeping time by using pregnancy pillow which provide some support and comfort.
It is suggested by doctors to make it a habit to sleep on the left hand side keeping your knees slightly bent. Sleeping on the right side is prohibited as there is an important vein, the vena cava that takes the blood from the body back to the heart. If you sleep on the right hand it may put pressure on the vein and may result in dizziness in result of decreased blood supply.
Using pillows on different positions may also help in finding a comfortable position to sleep in. Use a pillow under a leg or under your back to release pressure on the abdomen. Also try not to put pressure on the abdomen while getting up from lying down. Rolling to a side and putting the pressure on the arm may help considerably in reducing pressure on the abdomen.
Researching on the reason that is resulting in a discomforting sleep may help a lot in addressing the problems. A more practical solution can be achieved by addressing the exact problem rather than changing every habit. It becomes easy to adapt these changes as the pregnancy progresses.
Mostly as your pregnancy progress at night when you lay down to sleep your baby may move and kick. This is because during the day your movement tends to soothe him to sleep. Also when you are lying down the baby gets more room to stretch and kick. At these times you should free your mind and relax and gently rub your tummy.
In some cases pregnant women may experience sweating at nights while sleeping. Keeping a damp cloth near you may help so that you can wipe the sweat off with it. Involving in light exercises or yoga also helps in relaxing so you can easily sleep on after it. Some women may find it soothing to take a shower after a day or even you may feel relaxed after reading a book.
Another reason o lose sleep may be because of all the planning you do for the baby and your mind keeps working constantly on the details. You should however never take any medicines of any sort to get to sleep as they may have adverse effects on the baby.
Herbal teas can also be soothing especially when you’re showing one of those pregnancy symptoms such as nausea and though they should be taken only after consulting a herbalist who is an expert of the field. The known herbal teas that are considered safe are lemon balm, rose ship, orange peel, citrus peel and ginger tea. These herbal teas may be taken in a very slight infusion and once to twice a day is quite enough. Another soother at night is a warm cup of milk mixed with a little honey.
Intake of caffeine in any form should be discouraged, even coffee and tea. Even if they are required to be taken its intake should not be after early afternoon. Another sleep killer is the heartburn sensation. Avoid large meals just before sleeping and opt for small meals at intervals throughout the day.
If you still feel you are not getting enough sleep try to take short naps whenever you get the chance to overcome the sleep deficiency you are facing. Whenever you feel you cannot sleep try to get your mind off through relaxing in any way appropriate for you. As you know by now, pregnancy and sleep is a harder task then you could imagine.
