Pregnant women often struggle to get comfortable at night. This may be due to discomfort caused by their stomach, leg cramps, or frequent bathroom breaks due to their bladder being compressed by their womb. However, when you’re growing a new life inside you, it’s more crucial than ever that you get a full eight hours of quality sleep – or more. From changing your diet to sleeping with a water-heated mattress pad here are few tips on getting a good night’s sleep during pregnancy!
The Importance Of Good Sleep During Pregnancy
It is extremely important that pregnant women get a good night’s sleep for the sake of their own health and the health of their unborn child. Pregnancy puts a strain on the body and it needs to rest and recover each day. Here are a few reasons why good sleep is important during pregnancy.
Improves Mom’s Health
Getting quality sleep during pregnancy is good for your mental and physical health. Women who suffer from sleep problems during pregnancy are more likely to have longer labor, more pain, and higher rates of preterm birth.
Good sleep patterns can also help prevent hypertension. If a pregnant woman’s blood pressure gets high, she can suffer from preeclampsia, a condition that can cause immense discomfort to her and even cause a preterm birth. Sleep can help reduce stress levels and hypertension.
Sleep is also necessary for keeping your white blood cells at healthy levels. Getting plenty of sleep will help keep your immune system working properly so it can fight off illnesses that could affect your or your baby.
Improves Baby’s Health
The health of the mother can affect the health of the baby. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you could experience numerous health problems that could negatively affect your baby.
Women who get the right amount of sleep are less likely to develop sleep apnea, a condition that can cause you to stop breathing while sleeping. The resulting lack of oxygen can be dangerous for the developing baby.
Women who have sleep problems are also more likely to have a reduced amount of growth hormone released during pregnancy, which can cause growth problems for the unborn child.
Further, the stress hormone cortisol increases when you don’t get enough sleep. High levels of cortisol in pregnant mothers are linked to lower birth weights and lower IQ scores in their children.
Fewer Complications
The risk for complications during pregnancy is higher when you aren’t getting a good amount of sleep. When you aren’t getting enough sleep you may suffer from mental confusion, high blood pressure, a compromised immune system, sleep apnea, and even gestational diabetes. Getting a night of good sleep can help reduce your risk and susceptibility to these conditions and others.
Tips To Improve Sleep During Pregnancy
If you are pregnant and having a hard time sleeping at night, there are a few things you can do to improve the quality of your sleep. Here are a few ideas.
Body Pillows
A body pillow can help make you more comfortable at night. They can add support to the stomach and align your knees and arms during sleep. It can help take the pressure off your back and abdomen and help you find a comfortable position that makes it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Bed Warmers
You can find a bed warmer that can be added to your mattress to provide gentle heat that helps keep you comfortable and soothes your sore muscles.
The heat can also be soothing for the baby and help put it to sleep. This means the baby will kick and move less at night so you can sleep longer without any interruptions.
Non-electric bed warmer are available for any size of bed and are safe to use in all stages of pregnancy.
Diet Change
Sometimes the foods you eat can have an effect on the way you sleep. It can be a good option to cut out food and drink that can keep you awake at night, like those that contain caffeine and high amounts of sugar. You can also try to add more things to your diet that promote better sleep including, nuts, warm milk, cottage cheese, and tea.
Go Dark
Some people are extremely sensitive to light, and a bright room can make sleep difficult. If you can’t fall asleep or stay asleep, try making the room as dark as possible.
Turn off the TV, anything that brings light into your room. Pull your curtains or consider getting room darkening curtains to help keep your room dark if there are outside lights. This can help improve your sleep.
Start A Routine
Sometimes the reason you can’t sleep is that it’s hard to wind down after a long day of stress. You need to find a way to relax and let your mind know that it’s time for bed.
Start a routine that includes certain things that lead up to you falling asleep. This may include such things as taking a warm bath or shower, drinking warm milk, reading a couple of chapters of a book, or even listening to soothing music.
Try to start the routine at the same time every night. This will give you time to wind down and prepare to relax. After a few weeks of repetition, your body will get used to shutting down once you begin the routine.
Also read The Importance of Good Sleep for Pregnant Women
Are Mattress Pads Safe During Pregnancy?
Heated mattress pads are safe for pregnancy and can be used in all trimesters.
The heat does not generate radiation, so it won’t harm the baby. There are also no risks of getting tangled in wires or burnt by hot portions of the pad, as everything is contained and secure. The mattress pads can help ease pregnancy pains and create a more comfortable temperature so it’s easier to fall asleep.
If you are having trouble falling asleep at night and are pregnant, you need to find the cause of the problems so you can find a solution. If you aren’t sure why you aren’t sleeping well, you can try different things to see which one works best.
If you are ready to try a mattress warming pad for your pregnancy, be sure to check out the NavienMate website. We have a variety of different mattress pads that can help you sleep better during these crucial months. View our selection online to make your purchase!
