Sleeping for Two
An Expectant Mom’s Guide to Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
For most women, pregnancy is a time of great joy, excitement and anticipation. However, everything comes at a price, right? Expectant motherhood is no exception. No matter how much you longed to be pregnant or how hard you tried to conceive, you might not feel so great about it when you can’t figure out how to get a good night’s sleep. What can you do?
You’re Not Alone
Most women experience some difficulty with sleep during pregnancy. In fact, in a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, approximately 78 percent of women reported more disturbed sleep during pregnancy than at any other time. Many women also said they experienced feelings of extreme fatigue, especially during the first and third trimesters. But why?
A variety of factors can affect your sleep. It’s no wonder, considering all of the physical and emotional changes in your body. Changes in hormone levels, nausea, weight gain, back pain, fetal movement, heartburn, shortness of breath, other pre-existing conditions – each of these can contribute to you not getting a full night’s sleep. Throw in any stress or anxiety you have about your impending labor and delivery, or the challenges of balancing work and motherhood, and you can suffer significant sleep loss.
Diagnosing Your Sleep Problem
Even if you never had a problem with sleep before you got pregnant, some sleep disorders may be revealed or exacerbated with pregnancy. It’s important to talk to your doctor often about your sleep quality and quantity, particularly if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Insomnia – Symptoms of insomnia include difficulty falling or staying asleep, waking up too early or feeling unrefreshed.
- Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) – Symptoms of RLS include unpleasant feelings in the legs, sometimes described as creepy, tingly or achy. These feelings are worse at night or in the hours before bed and they are temporarily relieved by movement or stretching.
- Sleep apnea – Sleep apnea occurs when breathing is interrupted repeatedly during sleep. A noticeable symptom is heavy snoring, accompanied by long pauses, and then gasping or choking. Overweight or obese women who become pregnant and women who gain excessive weight are at increased risk for sleep apnea.
- Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD) – GERD (heartburn) often is considered a normal part of pregnancy. However, when symptoms occur at night, they can disrupt sleep.
- Frequent urination – Making frequent trips to the bathroom is another common feature of pregnancy and can result in loss of sleep.
Finding Relief
Sleeping well during pregnancy can be challenging, but don’t go reaching for the sleeping pill that helped you before. Most drugs used to treat sleep disorders carry some risk and are typically not recommended for women who are pregnant.
However, safe treatments are available. Start by practicing good sleep habits and, if those don’t work, talk to your doctor about what else might work for you. The good news is that most sleep problems tend to go away once your baby is born.
Try these coping tips throughout your pregnancy to help you get back to a better night’s sleep and feel more refreshed during the day:
- Plan, schedule and prioritize sleep.
- Add daytime naps, as necessary, but reduce them or nap earlier in the day if you have difficulty falling asleep at night.
- If you can't sleep, don't lie in bed and try forcing yourself to sleep. Get up and read a book, write in a journal or take a warm bath, keeping the lights as dim as possible.
- To help avoid heartburn, do not eat large amounts of spicy, acidic or fried foods. Eat frequent small meals throughout the day. You also can take over-the-counter antacids to help relieve symptoms.
- Drink plenty of fluids during the day, especially water, but cut down on the amount you drink in the hours before bedtime so that you won’t have to get up as often during the night.
- Put a nightlight in the bathroom instead of turning on the bathroom light for when you do have to get up at night. This will be less arousing and help you return to sleep more quickly.
- Unless your health care provider has advised against it, try to exercise for at least 30 minutes per day, but avoid exercising six hours before going to bed.
- Sleep on your left side to improve the flow of blood and nutrients to your fetus and to your uterus and kidneys. Try to avoid lying on your back for extended periods of time.
- Sometime in your second or third trimester, you may find it more comfortable to sleep with your knees and hips bent. Stuff a pillow between your knees to help take the pressure off your lower back. Some women also find it helpful to prop a rolled-up pillow behind their backs.
- If you snore or have pauses in your breathing that is associated with your snoring, you should be screened for sleep apnea. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a safe and effective treatment for sleep apnea during pregnancy.
- Have your blood pressure and urine protein checked, especially if you have swollen ankles or headaches. If you develop RLS, be evaluated for iron or folate deficiency.