How to sleep during pregnancy

Sleep is an essential part of the life of any person, and especially a pregnant woman. During the period of carrying the baby, the woman’s body is completely rebuilt and is faced with new and unusual problems. We will take a look at the order that interferes with the normal sleep of a pregnant woman and how to get rid of each of the problems.

What prevents a pregnant woman from sleeping

There are several factors that interfere with the normal and healthy sleep of a pregnant woman.

Mechanical reasons
From the first months of pregnancy, a woman's breasts are poured, which makes sleeping on her stomach painful and uncomfortable. And already from the fourth to fifth month, the stomach begins to grow actively, which completely eliminates the possibility of sleep on the stomach.

Sleeping on the back is also uncomfortable and painful, because the baby’s weight puts pressure on the vena cava, which is simply pinched. This robs the baby of nutrition. But nature thought everything in advance - a woman, even in a dream, could not lie on her back for a long time - immediately turned over. In such cases, you just need to find a comfortable sleeping position on your side.

Emotional reasons
Hormones play a trick on a pregnant woman. During the period of gestation, she worries and worries about the upcoming birth, the health of the baby, as well as about relations with her husband. Many pregnant women are prone to stress and psychosis. They begin to be jealous of their spouse, they think that they have ceased to be attractive.

All these experiences do not stop at night. Therefore, it is difficult for a woman to calm down and fall asleep in a peaceful sleep. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that sedatives and sleeping pills are contraindicated in women - they can be harmful to the fetus. If you are not troubled, you need to take a short walk in the fresh air before going to bed, do not over-eat at night, drink a glass of hot milk with honey, take a warm shower.

Toxicosis
Many pregnant toxicosis visits in the morning. However, there are a sufficient number of women who suffer from nausea in the evening, when you need to go to bed. Toxicosis is a natural phenomenon and is not a symptom, so it is pointless to fight it. Modern medicine has not yet come up with a cure for toxicosis. Therefore, you need to deal with it with improvised means.

Ventilate the room before going to bed, because pregnant women are constantly lacking oxygen. Drink warm tea with honey, lemon and ginger. In no case can you stay hungry - hunger provokes nausea even more. Crackers, salty seeds and sour candies save from toxicosis.

Cramps
The fetus grows in the woman’s body and takes a lot of calcium from her. From a lack of calcium, a woman begins to experience cramps, numbness and tingling in the limbs. In this case, you need to eat more foods containing calcium. Homemade cottage cheese, milk, kefir should be integral components of your diet.

Physiological reasons
The life of a pregnant woman is not sugar, everyone who has walked this difficult path knows about it. In addition to the inconvenience during sleep (in the form of a large abdomen), a woman can experience a lot of additional problems. Heartburn, frequent urination, rapid heartbeat and breathing, a feeling of stuffiness in the room - all this does not allow a woman to fall asleep.

To cope with these problems is quite difficult, you just need to survive this difficult period. If you suffer from severe heartburn, consult a doctor - there are medications for heartburn that can be taken by pregnant women. At night, you should not drink a lot of liquid, although this will not completely save you from going to the restroom.Provide a cool temperature of 23-24 degrees in the bedroom, which contributes to a healthy sleep.

Pregnant woman sleeping pose

In the first trimester, a woman can still sleep the way she wants and how she is used to. But, being pregnant, she should already adapt and learn to sleep on her side. When the stomach becomes large, after 25 weeks, a pregnant woman will not be able to sleep not only on her stomach, but also on her back. It remains to sleep only on the left and right side. Sleep on the left side is preferable, because when a woman sleeps on the right side, she squeezes an already compressed liver. When a woman sleeps on her left side, blood supply is normal, that is, no one suffers - neither mom nor baby.

Maternity Pillows

Each time, sleeping only on one side for a long time is quite difficult, so you need to try to maximize the variety of possible postures for sleeping. And for this you need to have soft pillows on hand to help you. Take a few rectangular soft pillows and lie on your side. Put one along the back, the second under the head, and the third between the knees. Sit back a little and you will feel relief. On the one hand, you are not lying on your side, but on the other hand, not completely on your back. Instead of pillows, a small roller rolled from diapers or towels can also be placed under the lower back. The main thing is that you are comfortable!

In order not to suffer with a large number of pillows and rollers, you can buy a special pillow for pregnant women. It can be purchased in the pillow and bed linen store, as well as in the online store. Such pillows are quite common, so there should not be a problem with their search. There are several types of pillows for pregnant women.

1. L-shaped pillow. It can be used in case of a narrow bed. The head rests on the short side of the pillow.
2. A horseshoe-shaped pillow is the most popular and in demand. One short side of the pillow is placed under the head, and the second between the knees. Such pillows can be used both before childbirth and after - as an arena for the baby.
3. Pillow with a hole. These pillows are designed for those who have not put up with the need to give up sleep on their stomach. They represent a rigid enough base so as not to fall through, in the middle of which there is a hole for the abdomen. That is, you sleep on your chest and absolutely do not harm the baby.

Most pillows are a universal accessory for a young mother. They can be used during childbirth to relieve pain, and also after the birth of the baby - as a convenient pillow for feeding. In addition, sitting on such a pillow is very convenient after Cesarean section surgery - so as not to disturb the seams.

Some tips for a pregnant woman’s good sleep

Pregnant insomnia cannot be treated, because any drugs can be dangerous to the fetus. Here are some effective tips to help you calm down and sleep through the night.

1. Since it is impossible to be treated with medicines, we will use folk remedies and recipes. Prepare yourself herbal tea with chamomile, valerian and motherwort before going to bed. These herbs have mild sedative properties.
2. You do not need to eat too much at night, however, you should not sit hungry - this is not the most successful period for losing weight. It is better to make sure that dinner is light, but nutritious. Eat protein foods at night - meat, fish, cottage cheese. Lack of glucose can also cause insomnia and anxiety. Have a cup of sweet tea or eat a sweet fruit to sleep peacefully all night. Melon calms women very well - it contains a lot of vitamins and glucose.
3. Try to avoid nervous shocks, stress and anxiety. Understand that now nothing can be more important for you than your baby.
4. Do not engage in active emotional activities at bedtime. Do not watch the heart-breaking melodrama or root for your favorite sports team. But light physical exercises for pregnant women or a walk in the fresh air will come in handy.
5. If you can’t fall asleep at night, maybe you should reduce the time of daytime sleep or completely abandon it?
6. In order to ensure comfortable sleeping conditions, in addition to airing the room, pay attention to pajamas and bedding. The fabric should be soft and natural. Do not overcool your feet - wear socks for the night.
7. Ask your husband or mother to massage your legs, lower back, and back. Indeed, in the later stages, the spine and legs of a woman suffer from great severity. A light stroking massage will relieve pain and help you fall asleep.

Pregnancy is not only good news, an exciting expectation of a baby and strawberries at one in the morning. This is a difficult period in which the woman’s body is at the peak of its capabilities. And only in your power to alleviate the temporary difficulties that a pregnant woman faces. And ensuring a healthy and full sleep is one of the main tasks.

Video: Can I sleep on my back during pregnancy?