Why Is Sleep So Important During Pregnancy

During sleep, your body goes through different phases to help itself reset and repair. It processes memories, keeps your immune system healthy, and controls how your body reacts to insulin which is vital to avoid gestational diabetes. This would otherwise cause high blood sugar that can affect your pregnancy and your baby’s health.

Research has shown that pregnant women who sleep less than 6 hours a night may have longer labors and be more likely to need C-sections. The ideal sleeping amount spent in bed should be at least 8-9 hours so that you can get at least 7 hours of sleep.

At the end of the day though, the best way to judge whether you are getting enough sleep is by how you feel. If you are not sleeping and chronically tired, you are not getting enough sleep.

Make sure to check the quality of your mattress during pregnancy. As your belly grows your mattress should be firm enough so that you don’t sag into it. Instead of buying a new mattress, you could try a mattress topper. Alternatively, if you were considering changing out your mattress anyway, a pillowtop mattress or memory foam mattress might be good choices. 

Sleeping Positions - And what you should know about each

Sleeping on your side

Doctors typically recommend pregnant women sleep on their side, as it is ideal for blood flow through the fetus, uterus, and kidneys. Whether you choose to sleep on your left or your right makes little difference, though left might be a little better. Why? Because your liver is on the right side, and by sleeping on your left side your uterus does not press down on it.

Sleeping on your back

Though it is safe in the first trimester, you should avoid lying on your back all night long after that. This is because your uterus will be putting unnecessary pressure on your vena cava, the vein which carries blood from your feet and legs back to your heart. Doing so would otherwise disturb circulation and could make you feel dizzy.

By sleeping on your back, your stomach weighs down on your intestines and back, making you more likely to experience backaches and hemorrhoids.

If you ever do wake up at night and find yourself on your back, don’t worry about it! Shifting your sleeping position is normal and something you can’t control. And if you do wake up from it, it is probably your body signaling to you, that it is time to change your position,

Sleeping on your stomach

Stomach sleeping is possible until weeks 16-18. At that point, your bump will be noticeably bigger and you will start feeling uncomfortable while sleeping like this.

Why should you consider getting a pregnancy pillow?

Sleeping while pregnant can be very uncomfortable, so many pregnant women decide to get a pillow or several pillows to lessen the pressure. Whether it’s a side sleeper pillow, a nursing pillow, or a lumbar pillow. But what is the best pregnancy pillow? And how do you sleep with a pregnancy pillow?

On a side note, check the material of the pillow covers or pillows themselves before you get any. Being pregnant could cause asthma and seasonal allergy to worsen, improve, or remain unchanged. We would recommend bamboo pillows for their hypoallergenic and anti-bacterial properties.

To get more comfortable while sleeping on your left side, you can put a pillow between the knees, a second under the belly, and a third behind the back to support it and relieve pain.

At the end of the day, you probably just need to experiment with pillows a little to discover the most comfortable sleeping position for you. If you still don’t know what type of pillow could help, talk to your doctor or your family and friends to hear about their experiences. 

Pregnancy discomforts, why you might be getting them, and what you can do against them!

• Frequent urge to pee
  As your baby grows throughout pregnancy, the size of the uterus also increases. This increases the pressure on your bladder, thereby increasing the number of trips to the bathroom. Also, since there is an increased volume of blood, your kidneys need to work harder. This process creates more urine.
  
  If you need to pee a lot during the night, avoid eating or drinking too much after 6 p.m. You can also try eating a bigger breakfast and lunch, and then have a light dinner. 
  
  
• Increased heart rate
  Your heart is working harder to send sufficient blood to the uterus and the rest of your body, so an increased heart rate is normal. Just make sure you don’t exhaust yourself too much.
   
• Shortness of breath
  Your pregnancy hormones will cause you to breathe in more deeply. Later, when your uterus begins up taking more space breathing can become even more uncomfortable, as it will put pressure against your diaphragm, the muscle just below the lungs.
  
  
• Snoring
  To combat snoring during pregnancy, try sleeping with a nasal strip on and a humidifier on, and add some pillows underneath your neck! Also, mention it to your doctor at your next checkup. 
  
  
• Leg cramps and backaches
  As your baby bump grows, so does its weight. This can burden your legs and back. Additionally, your body produces a hormone named “relaxin” which it needs for childbirth. Relaxin loosens the ligaments in your body causing you to be less stable and prone to injury.
  
  Leg cramps can cause you to feel like ants are crawling up and down your leg, this can be very uncomfortable. Try walking around our activating your leg to get some relief.
   
• Heartburn and constipation
  During pregnancy your digestive system slows down, causing food to stay in your stomach and intestines longer. Heartburn occurs when the stomach contents come back up the esophagus. Both heartburn and constipation can get worse during pregnancy as the growing uterus puts pressure on the stomach or large intestines.
  
  Prop up your head up with a few extra pillows and try to eat at least two hours before bedtime and avoid eating spicy, greasy, or citrusy foods. 
• In case you are experiencing fear and anxiety, talk to your doctor, your family and friends, or find a childbirth class or parenting class. Don’t stay alone with your fears. More knowledge and a support system can help ease any fears that you are experiencing. 

Other things you can do

There are of course more ways in which you can improve your sleep, such as these.

• Try not to exercise before going to bed. Instead, exercise in the morning and try to do something relaxing, like listen to sleep music, read a book, or do some gentle yoga in the evening.
  (Also: Any exercise routine you plan to maintain should also be discussed with your doctor to make sure it is safe for you and your baby!) 
• Make it a routine to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day
• Cut out caffeinated drinks like coffee, soda, and tea.
  In addition to keeping you up at night, high levels of caffeine can result in babies having a low birth weight which might increase health problems later in life. 
• Avoid electronic devices before going to bed, as the blue light increases alertness and keeps you from being tired. 
• Some women feel warm or hot when they sleep due to an increased metabolic rate, s make sure your room temperature is nice and cool. You can turn on a fan or open the window if your room feels stuffy. 
• Try not to stress out about whatever you are experiencing, it is all quite natural. If you are still worried, talk to your doctor and follow their advice. Maybe they could recommend you sleep aids if nothing works to help you catch some sleep. 

If you found any of this helpful, you can check our article about habits for a good sleep hygiene.

Here are also some pillows you can check out!

You can use the discount code SweetSleep15 on your next purchase to get 15% off.