While one should rest during pregnancy, the changes in the body and mind can make achieving this objective a bit difficult. From mobility to sleep, everything changes when one is expecting. However, there are certain sleeping positions during pregnancy that might help offer much-needed rest and relief.
Before we dive into sleeping positions, let us determine why sleep is so important during pregnancy and talk about sleeping differences and requirements based on trimesters.
Why is Sleep Important During Your Pregnancy?
While sleeping is important for everyone, getting quality sleep during pregnancy is more vital as it impacts your and your baby’s health and affects labour and delivery.
Not sleeping well during pregnancy can lead to serious issues like preeclampsia – high blood pressure during pregnancy that can damage kidneys and lead to premature birth, thus compromising the baby’s development and future health.
When pregnant, the body produces hormones (including lots of progesterone) that trigger extreme tiredness, even exhaustion, demanding that you sleep more than your usual hours. Catering to this demand helps your body gain the strength it needs during pregnancy and lowers your blood pressure and sugar that may spike up due to the condition.
Having a sound sleep while being pregnant can also alleviate discomforts like:
- Heartburn
- Nausea
- Back pain
- Excessive Urination
- Restless Leg Syndrome
- Cramps
Sleep During Different Trimesters
Each trimester brings with it different sleeping problems. Understanding those problems can help you regulate them as well.
First Trimester
Getting sleep during the first trimester is a challenge since your body is adapting to the new change. The adaptation includes high amounts of progesterone, as discussed, that can make you feel very sleepy during the day, which, therefore, intervenes with your nightly routine.
However, even though you are sleepy, comfort might be difficult to come by due to the obvious physical changes, including tender breasts and acid reflux, in addition to a cocktail of hormones meant to keep your baby healthy.
Sleeping positions during the first three months of pregnancy are relatively easy to master.
Second Trimester
During the second trimester, you might experience the subsiding of morning sickness, which makes sleeping a bit easier when compared to the first three months. However, now you will be at the onset of body ache, and therefore, it is important to sleep on the sides to avoid extra pressure build upon the stomach and the back.
However, the second trimester is a relatively calm period, and you can use this time to build up sleep routines that will help your body attune to sleep times and be prepared to take on sleep challenges during the third trimester.
Third Trimester
The third trimester is the time you have been preparing for! Getting sleep during the third trimester is relatively difficult, thanks to the frequent trips to the washroom and ever-present heartburn. In addition to these, you might experience trouble breathing, snoring and sleep apnea that can add to the long list of sleep deprivation.
The third trimester is extremely crucial, where you need to rest as much as you can. While it may be difficult, the following steps can help promote better sleep during the third trimester:
- Maintain your room temperature.
- Stay away from spicy food and caffeine, especially at dinner.
- Try reading or listening to calming music before going to bed. Avoid scrolling through instagram.
- Keep the noise at bay.
- Have a pre-bed conversation ritual with your partner.
Sleeping Positions During Pregnancy
Remember tossing and turning at night while you were NOT pregnant? Sleep discomfort will take a whole new meaning once you are expecting it. This is not to scare you but prepare you to take measures to get that much deserved quality sleep during pregnancy.
Following are the sleeping positions during pregnancy that you can adopt to rest comfortably.
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Sleeping on the Left Side During Pregnancy
Sleeping on your left side during pregnancy is the ideal position, especially during the later stage, as it allows the uninterrupted blood supply to the fetus and your kidneys. It also helps prevent heartburn and is a good habit to form as you enter the third trimester.
If sleeping on your left side does not come naturally to you, try propping pillows on your side to avoid rolling over to other positions, especially your back. Try tucking smaller pillows under your waist and between your knees to alleviate pressure and add much-needed support.
Since the pressure is off, it also helps deal with pregnancy issues of swollen feet, hands and ankles.
Sleeping on the Right Side During Pregnancy
While many suggest that sleeping on the right side is not advisable, research suggests that it is safe to sleep on either side during pregnancy. However, sleeping on the right MIGHT cause compression issues in the Inferior vena cava (IVC), but when it comes to the bigger picture, you and your baby are safe even on the right side.
Sleeping on Your Back During Pregnancy
Sleeping in the soldier position, sleeping on the back, comes naturally to many out there; you should avoid it as you enter your second trimester.
The mid-section starts to gain weight, and sleeping on your back can put pressure on the main vein responsible for carrying blood from the lower body to the heart. This disruption can lead to low blood pressure and, of course, low blood circulation.
Sleeping on Your Stomach During Pregnancy
This is a common question that many expecting mothers may have. Sleeping on your stomach during pregnancy is doable, but for a while.
You can sleep on your stomach well into the 18th week of your pregnancy, beyond which your baby bump starts to grow, and you might not be thrilled about sleeping on the top of a bump.
However, even now, if you feel comfortable sleeping on your stomach, then please do so because, unlike what it may seem like, sleeping like this won’t squish your baby. The amniotic fluid and the uterine walls protect your baby sufficiently.
However, it is advisable to sleep with a stomach sleeping pillow, which has a large cutout to accommodate your position and help you get shut-eye while offering support as well as the room to breathe.
Tips for a Comfortable Sleep During Pregnancy
Sleeping comfortably during pregnancy does not come naturally to a majority of women. Following tips can help you in your quest to get that quality sleep while you are expecting.
Pre-Bed Meditation Ritual
Pregnancy can be a stressful time. However, it does not have to impact your sleep. You can create a short meditation ritual every night before going to bed to fill your head with positive and relaxing thoughts. It will help you remove any impending negativity and clear your head for the night. Simple breathing techniques for 10-15 minutes every night can do the trick.
Move During the Day
It might not look like it, but it is possible to move around when you are pregnant. Getting some exercise during the day will help improve blood circulation and reduce cramps as well as swelling. However, don’t work right before going to bed; maintain a good two-hour gap in between.
High a Night-Time Ritual
Having a night-time ritual is recommended even if you are not pregnant. This is a way to coax your brain into getting into sleep mode, which makes sleeping easier. Try listening to soothing music, have a cup of soothing caffeine-free chai, maybe try taking a warm shower or even cuddle with your partner for those needed oxytocin to keep your brain calm and happy. Stay away from electronic devices unless necessary.
Cool Down Your Body
Pregnancy tends to elevate body temperature. Try breathing techniques and setting your room to a more optimum temperature to keep your body cool and sleep comfortably.
How Choosing the Right Mattress Can Help You Get Quality Sleep During Pregnancy
Choosing the right mattress can help you receive quality sleep during pregnancy. It should be too hard or too soft to avoid any pressure on the circulation. How to choose the right mattress for the expecting?
- Check for firmness. Pregnant ladies can benefit from orthopaedic foam memory mattresses as they are not too plushy to restrict movement but not too hard either.
- Heat Retention: As discussed, pregnant women tend to have higher body temperatures. Having mattresses devoid of heat retention can play a vital in ensuring an optimum temperature sleeping for mama.
- Body Conformity: Pregnancy is a physically taxing situation, and having a mattress that conforms to the body shape can add much-needed support and reinforce sleep with comfort.
- Motion Isolation: While pregnant women need to rest, their partners too require sleep to lend the much needed helping hand. Motion isolation in a mattress can help pregnant women, who often deal with wakefulness, move about without disturbing their partners. It also works the other way round when the partner’s movements do not affect the expecting mother’s sleep.
Have a safe, rested and healthy journey into motherhood!