Pregnancy Guide to Better Sleep
If you’re pregnant, you know that you need your sleep. Your body is working so hard, churning out extra blood, hormones, and more so you can grow an actual human being! You’re achy. You’re swollen. You’re tired. And yet...sleeping while pregnant feels more like a dream than an attainable reality for so many.
In fact, 80% of moms-to-be say that it’s difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position, nearly 60% report insomnia—and every single one of the 2,000+ people surveyed say that they experienced frequent night-waking while pregnant, according to a report in the journal Sleep Medicine. And you thought your sleep changed only after your baby arrived. Ha! But here’s the thing: While you can’t magically sleep exactly like you did pre-pregnancy, you can greatly improve the sleep quality you’re experiencing now—no matter your trimester.
Pregnancy Sleep Tip #1: Roll Over
Sleeping on your left side with your knees bent and a pillow under your belly (or between your legs) is considered the most comfortable sleeping-while-pregnant position. (Placing a rolled-up blanket at the small of your back can up the comfort, too.) Side-sleeping takes the pressure of your growing baby off your spine and your back muscles. It also helps to sidestep pregnancy-induced heartburn, which gets worse when you’re lying on your back.
Another bonus: Sleeping on your left side avoids compressing your liver and improves blood flow to your heart, kidneys, and uterus...where your wee baby is growing! At the same time, left-side-sleeping it’s the safest way to snooze once you’re about 20 weeks along, keeping your baby from putting the squeeze on a major blood vessel which can reduce blood return to the heart and cause low blood pressure. But if you wake up on your right side, don’t panic! It’s fine to roll to your right side for a bit, just try your very best to avoid lying flat on your back.
Pregnancy Sleep Tip #2: Adjust the Temperature
Your normal nighttime room temperature likely doesn’t cut it anymore. During pregnancy, your blood volume can double. All of that extra plasma makes your blood vessels dilate, or widen, which allows more blood to the surface of your skin, causing you to feel hot and sweaty. Hormonal changes and all the extra work your heart is doing also work to raise your body temperature.
To help counter these changes, keep your bedroom cool, hovering between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. And take a peek at your bedding: Mattresses made with thick foams absorb and trap body heat, increasing your body heat—as do sheets made of synthetic fibers. To keep things, cool at night, consider a mattress topper that’s infused with a cooling gel, which can trap heat, drawing it away from the body. At the same time, swap your sheets for those made with natural fibers like cotton, linen, or bamboo. They’re way more breathable and cooling than their synthetic counterparts.
Pregnancy Sleep Tip #3: Drink Water This Way
Pregnancy almost guarantees that you’ll wake in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. (You can thank the uptick of progesterone and the fact that your wee baby likes to lean on your bladder.) But silly as it may seem, drinking the right amount of water can actually help you sleep better. (Yes, water spurs peeing...but keep reading!)
During your second and third trimester you’re at an elevated risk for nighttime leg cramps, thanks to a few things, like less calcium and magnesium coursing through your body, but also dehydration. To avoid nighttime peeing, many pregnant people drink less water, inadvertently causing a different sleep-disturbing issue! Solve both of these sleep issues by drinking 8 to 12 eight-ounce glasses of water every day, sipping mostly in the morning and afternoon...and swearing off liquids about two hours before lights out. Also helpful: Doing gentle leg stretches before bed; getting moderate daytime exercise; and eating plenty of calcium-rich foods. PS: staying properly hydrated can also help stave off another evening sleep-sapper: Braxton Hicks, aka “false labor.”
Pregnancy Sleep Tip #4: Check Your Iron
Roughly 36% of moms-to-be deal with restless leg syndrome (RLS), which is marked by an uncontrollable urge to move your legs, usually at night when lying down for bed, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. These folks are twice as likely to report poor sleep quality and are more likely to have excessive daytime sleepiness. While there’s no singular cause of RLS in pregnancy, iron deficiency is one of the main culprits.
A lack of iron can alter how your brain processes certain sensations, which can lead to RLS. And because pregnant folks require twice as much iron than normal, it can be difficult to keep up. In fact, one in two pregnancies are affected by iron deficiency. Adding to the problem: Iron levels naturally drop around bedtime. Right now, the United States Preventive Services Task Force doesn’t recommend universal screening for iron deficiency in pregnancy, but if your sleep is getting sapped by RLS, don’t hesitate to ask for a test! A doctor-advised iron supplement might be exactly what you need to catch some ZZZs.
Pregnancy Sleep Tip #5: Try White Noise
Surprise: White noise is not just to help babies sleep! As your bump steadily grows—and pregnancy hormones continue to race around your body—you’ll start to experience less deep (or slow-wave) sleep. As a result, you’ll wake more often. To off-set your new-found “light sleeping” tendencies, use a white noise machine to help mask rouge sounds, like the early-morning garbage truck or your partner watching television in the next room, that may awaken you. White noise creates a blanket of sound that camouflages sudden changes in soundwave consistency that disrupt light sleepers. In addition, a 2017 report found that white noise can improve sleep quality—and help those with sleep issues fall into deep sleep more quickly.
Pregnancy Sleep Tip #6: Get Moving
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that pregnant folks clock at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week during pregnancy, noting that spreading it out over the week is best. (Think: Taking a brisk 30-minute walk every day, five days a week.) Exercising during pregnancy is, of course, super helpful at reducing stress; upping flexibility and strength; readying your body for labor and delivery; and helping to manage new weird aches and ouches...and new research shows that moderate physical activity can improve sleep quality throughout pregnancy.
Specifically, moderate exercise can reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and decrease the amount of time folks lie awake in bed at night. If you’re debating whether you should exercise inside or out—or in the morning or at night—consider that morning exposure to natural light further helps facilitate sleep. And the National Sleep Foundation reports that morning exercise tends to help you fall asleep faster than evening exercise. Bonus: Sun exposure can also boost levels of vitamin D and may even help prevent preterm birth.
For more pregnancy advice, check out these articles:
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