Henry Carlson
Motherhood is a blessing and bearing a child is a gift. This phase is one of the highlights of being a woman. This is where the anticipation rises as the number of months of childbearing shortens. In this phase, it is important for mothers to be in their best health.
Since the child will be getting all the vitamins and nutrients from the mother, expecting moms should make sure to take in healthy food and invest on hours of sleep. Pregnant women are more likely to feel sleepy throughout the day, but they are also prone to experiencing sleeping difficulties for a number of reasons.
If you are pregnant, it is important to understand your body so you can care for it better. As your belly becomes bigger, you may experience a couple of conditions such as frequently having a full bladder, back pain, heartburn, anxiety, reflux and more. These can definitely interrupt your sleep during the night, hence, giving you a hard time falling back asleep.
Since sleep is vital in childbearing, we have prepared a couple of ways that could help you get better sleep at night. Some of it may already be in your sleeping routine; however, incorporating most of it can make it a better one.
Effective Sleeping Tips to Help You Sleep During Pregnancy
Falling and staying asleep can be a challenge to everyone, more so if you are a pregnant woman. Majority of expecting moms can experience sleeping problems as they are bound to experience sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux, back pain, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, restless leg syndrome, and more. These steps can help them sleep better and longer at night.
- Know Your Body Clock and Stick to It
Everyone has a body clock, also known as the sleep-wake cycle. This is responsible for telling you whether you are at a state of wakefulness or sleep. Knowing your body’s circadian rhythm or sleep-wake cycle can help you maximize your rest.
If you want to get quality sleep, make sure to stick to a specific time for sleeping. You can also set a specific time to wake up to make sure you can be alert and energized throughout the day. This also allows you to have an easier time falling and staying asleep before bedtime.
- Be Active
Confide with a physician and get clearance to engage in physical activity. Once you get the green light, you can start by exercising at least thirty minutes in a day. This can be through walking or any other type of approved exercise. This contributes to better mood, improved circulation and energy allocation throughout the entire day.
While these help you function better in the morning, it also gets you feeling sleepy at night. However, it is important to watch the exercises you do as it can be harmful to the baby especially when you opt to do vigorous ones. And make sure to do exercises two to three hours away from your bedtime.
- Limit Water Intake before Bedtime
Hydration is important and essential for all bodily functions. However, pregnant women easily get their bladder full. If you chug on liquids hours before your bedtime, you may end up getting more trips to the bathroom than needed. It is recommended to cut back on liquid intake two to three hours before your sleeping schedule.
- Stay Away from Heavy Meals and Spicy Food before Bedtime
When you eat big meals before sleeping, your body gets a hard time digesting it. If you feel a bit hungry before your scheduled bedtime, go for light snack such as crackers, fruits, cheese, or cereals. When your body works harder to digest your food at night, the work needed for regeneration and repair is set aside and does more harm than good.
Apart from big meals, you also have to avoid eating spicy food before bedtime. This is because acidic and spicy food increases the likelihood and severity of heartburn at night. This will only get you feeling discomfort and unable to sleep.
- Make It a Habit to Sleep on Your Left Side
When you sleep on your back, you increase the chances of waking up with a strained and back in the morning. This is why the recommended sleeping position would be on your left side. This facilitates better blood and nutrient flow to the kidneys, uterus, especially to the growing baby. This also lessens the chances of having reflux and heartburns.
- Use Sleeping Aids
Sleeping on ordinary pillows is typical; however, it does not guarantee the best sleep at night. Thanks to technology, there are now pillows dedicated to facilitating better sleep for pregnant women. There are a couple of sleeping positions that a pregnant woman can do while using pregnancy pillows. A good one can be lying on your left side with the knees and hips bent while pillows is placed in between the legs, behind your back and under the abdomen.
- Get Out of Bed When Not Sleepy
When you try to sleep and spend thirty minutes or more trying to fall asleep, get out of bed. Engage in a relaxing activity such as writing, reading, listening to spa music or getting a warm bath. Let your body feel drowsy in the natural way, forcing yourself to sleep at night can only add stress and anxiety to your system.
- Eliminate or Minimize Blue Light at Night
Light plays a role in keeping us awake. When exposed to light, the body produces hormones that can make us feel active and energized. The opposite happens when we eliminate it. Light coming from tablets, mobile phones and computers are considered blue light. Hence, it is recommended to refrain from using gadgets during and a few hours before sleeping.
- Get the Right Mattress
Nothing beats the rest you get from sleeping on a good quality mattress. Resting on an old and worn out mattress can interrupt your sleep and keep you waking up in the middle of the night. It can get you back pain and sores all over your body. It also impedes your body’s circulation and can lead you to have a poor posture if done over time.
So it is important to get a mattress that will give you the right amount of firmness and softness all together. A good mattress can keep your body’s alignment and curvature in a good position as you sleep for hours, more so if you are pregnant. This is the reason why you have to get a high quality bed so it can serve its purpose for a long time.
- Promote a Relaxing Atmosphere
While it is important to have good sleep hygiene all the time, it also pays to get the right environment for sleep. You will have a better sleep quality when you are in a quiet and serene place. You can make it more relaxing by always having fresh sheets, a well-ventilated space, comfortable pillows and mattress, some aromatherapy and relaxing music. The combination of all those can get you to sleep faster than you ever did in the past. When your body is relaxed, sleep comes easily.
Conclusion
Pregnancy is always a pleasant event for every woman. Getting through it and seeing your child for the first time is a miraculous and heart-warming experience. But the struggle remains the same for expectant mothers. There will be sleepless nights and discomfort throughout the day, but why let these get in the way of getting the rest you deserve?
Focus on improving your sleep hygiene to correct and enhance your sleep quality. By following all the pointers mentioned above, you can achieve a better night’s sleep during pregnancy. With these incorporated in your routine, pregnancy will be smooth and a not-so difficult phase to go through with.
Henry’s first job was in the furniture and mattress industry as a sales associate. From there, he moved up to merchandising specialist for several years and then became an assistant manager. Working in the industry gave him access to a lot of products and also helped him gain in-depth knowledge.
