Pregnancy and Sleep: How sleep patterns change during pregnancy
Pregnancy is one of the most awaited and exciting periods in a woman’s life when a myriad of hormonal influxes take place within her body. This is the time when she needs mental, emotional, and physical support to the maximum, in every way possible. And sleep plays a pivotal role in ensuring proper and healthy growth, not just of the newbie growing within her, but also for her overall development as an expecting mother.
Pregnancy is never a one-size-fits-all phenomenon. Women experience weird and absolutely shocking changes in their daily regimes due to so many chemical reactions and hormonal modifications taking place within them. This majorly affects their sleeping patterns. Women who have never experienced problems in falling to sleep may suddenly find it a herculean task to get those precious hours of rest for themselves.
In fact, as per reports from the National Sleep’s Foundation, 1998, it has been observed that 78% of women experience a disturbed sleep pattern during their pregnancy as compared to otherwise.
Fatigue is another very common occurrence noticed in pregnant women, especially during the first and the third trimesters. Owing to these difficulties in maintaining sleep patterns and added anxiety, pregnant women tend to get tired and exhausted very fast as they do not get the right amount of rest required for remaining active and energetic at all times.
Hence, it is highly important for pregnant women to prioritise their sleep time over and above everything else, right from the first trimester, and even find effective strategies to control their sleeping problems, so as to ensure smooth sailing through their carriage months and even beyond it, once the child is born. Remember, poor sleep can result in longer labour and even end up in a C-section delivery.
Therefore, doctors keep stressing on sleep quantity as well as sleep quality for to-be-mothers.
Common Sleep Problems Experienced by Pregnant Women
Pregnancy may cause the following sleep problems and symptoms:
- Insomnia- Pregnant women may find both falling asleep and staying asleep for longer spells quite cumbersome, thereby leading to insomnia. This may be an effect of stress and anxiety relating to their newly achieved designation of a to-be-mother, balancing work with motherhood, or even due to thoughts regarding the labour and delivery of the baby, thereby resulting in significant sleep loss. Other than these, nausea, fetal movements, and back pain may also be the reason for insomnia in pregnant ladies.
- Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)- It is quite common to have an unpleasant and uneasy feeling of creepiness and tingliness in the legs during pregnancy. These occur mostly at night, before bedtime, thereby making falling asleep quite challenging. The only relief could be by doing some stretching movements.
- Sleep apnea- Sleep disorder caused due to interrupted breathing, leading to heavy snoring, gasping or choking during sleep is what sleep apnea is. During pregnancy, many women tend to develop this, thereby adding on to their problems with sleeping.
- Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux (nighttime GERD)- GERD, or heartburn, as is commonly called, is again a normal phenomenon during pregnancy that mostly occurs during night time and disturbs the sleep of the expectant mother. This condition, if not checked, can even damage the oesophagus.
- Frequent nighttime urination- Loss of sleep in pregnancy is also due to a constant and frequent urge for urination, especially at night.
How to Treat Sleep Problems During Pregnancy
1. Insomnia
Sleep problems during pregnancy cannot be treated through medications as they might cause adverse effects on the developing fetus. Hence, in order to treat insomnia during pregnancy, the only way out is to practice proper and good sleep hygiene.
2. RLS
Treating RLS through pills is also quite risky for the growing baby. However, it has been seen that RLS occurs mostly in women who are iron/folate deficit during pregnancy. Hence, prenatal vitamins which contain iron supplements and folate may help reduce symptoms of RLS during pregnancy. However, a better alternative is to switch to foods rich in folate like fruits, whole grain, cereals, etc., rather than relying on pills for fulfilling the iron quota for the body.
3. Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea during pregnancy is reported in obese women, women who tend to put on excessive weight during pregnancy and even those who already had an existing problem of snoring. To treat sleep apnea during pregnancy, the best and most effective method is Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which is both safe and simple to handle.
4. Gastroesophageal Reflux
To treat GERD during pregnancy, there are many over-the-counter antacids that are safe and can be taken every day at night and even during the daytime, as per the intensity and requirement of the patient.
5. Frequent nighttime urination
There are no over-the-counter medications available to curb the urge for frequent urination during pregnancy. As the baby grows within the womb of the mother, it starts putting pressure on the urinary bladder, thereby increasing the frequency of urination, especially during nighttime, when the body is at rest. The best, and only, way to cope with this is to have lots of water and other liquids during daytime but avoid them around bedtime.
Various Sleep Positions and their Effect on the Mother and the Baby During Pregnancy
Generally, in the normal course, the stomach and back are the two most comfortable positions for people to sleep in. But unfortunately, both these positions are not recommended for pregnant women. However, to stay comfortable and safe during this period, here are the various positions recommended at various stages of pregnancy.
1. Sleeping on your stomach
In the first trimester, women addicted to sleeping on their tummy can continue doing so, but as the stomach grows to reach the size of a watermelon, you should not sleep in this position as it may put added pressure on the growing fetus and even cause discomfort to you as you continue to grow in size.
2. Sleeping on your back
The back sleep position is a complete no-no for pregnant women, especially during the second and third trimesters. The reason behind this is when you rest on your back, the entire weight of the growing uterus and the baby falls on your lower back, intestines, and the vena cava (the vein responsible for supplying blood to and from the lower back to the heart). This ends up in causing aggravated backaches, haemorrhoids, and even interfering with the process of digestion and circulation and even reducing blood flow to the fetus.
Hence, it is okay to sleep on your back once in a while, but pregnant women should not make it a habit to sleep on the back for prolonged hours as it may impose many difficulties during the later stages of pregnancy.
3. Sleeping on your left or right side
The ideal position to sleep in during pregnancy, especially during the second and the third trimesters, is on either side, preferably on the left. Sleeping in this position ensures maximum blood flow and nutrients to the growing baby through the placenta and puts minimum pressure on the vena cava. It even enhances the functioning of the kidney, which ensures better elimination of waste products from the body and also prevents swelling in the ankles, feet, and hands.
How to get Comfortable While Sleeping During Pregnancy
To get comfortable and cosy during sleep-time in your pregnancy days, here are a few tips which can ensure complete rest and relaxation to both the mother and the baby in her womb.
- Use lots of pillows- Use pillows to make yourself comfortable when resting on the bed and trying to get some sleep during pregnancy. Place a pillow between your legs as you roll over one side. Use another pillow to support your back. Try other permutations and combinations so that you feel completely at ease. These tricks would definitely get you snoozing in no time at all, even during the later stages of your pregnancy.
- Get a special pillow- There are special pillows available for pregnant women to make them feel comfortable and relaxed, like a wedge-shaped one or a full body size, a 5-foot long one, or a pregnancy pillow.
- Prop yourself up- Try using a recliner, a semi-upright position, to get better sleep if pillows do not solve your sleeping problems during pregnancy.
Final thoughts
Having discussed a lot about sleep during pregnancy, it is a known fact that it is almost impossible to sleep comfortably and peacefully all throughout your pregnancy. However, there are many ways which can be adapted to cope with this issue in a sensible and systematic manner.
Exercising regularly, planning and scheduling your sleep routine properly, avoiding acidic foods that may cause discomfort during the night, taking proper supplements for boosting energy, and balancing the vitamin and mineral content in the body are some of the lifestyle habits which can be undertaken to make sleeping more welcoming and less troublesome during pregnancy.
