Sleep in pregnancy

Lack of sleep doesn’t suit many people and it’s a challenge when you’re pregnant! Here are our top tips that we hope will help you sleep better during pregnancy:

Top 5 tips to help sleep during pregnancy

• Eat healthily and avoid heavy or greasy meals that could cause heartburn
• Reduce fluid intake two hours before bed and reduce caffeine intake
• Hormone changes can upset your balance – try relaxation techniques or light yoga before bed
• Take gentle exercise during the day, ideally everyday
• Sleep on your side with a pillow between your legs and under your bump – this can then be used as a feeding pillow

Here’s a little more detail about our top 5 tips to help sleep during pregnancy:

Eating well

Eating a healthy diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is very beneficial to aid good sleep. Although important throughout your life, caring for your body during pregnancy will aid sleep and give you the nutrients and energy you need for yourself and your growing baby. The NCT and NHS have useful information on diet in pregnancy.

Fluid intake

Changes to hormones during pregnancy can create sleep disruption as you need to wee more often! Whilst this is very normal, some people find it hard to get back to sleep. We recommend taking your fluids in during the day and reducing the volume you drink a few hours before you go to bed. 

Drinking lots of water and herbal teas can help with sickness and keep you hydrated during pregnancy. When you’re pregnant, you need to drink more water than normal to form amniotic fluid, enhance digestion and produce extra blood and new tissue for the growing foetus. Some mothers find herbal teas are a good option instead of tea and coffee as caffeine is best avoided during pregnancy. Peppermint, camomile and ginger teas are often recommended and can ease sickness too. 

Hormones 

If you have trouble getting back to sleep, relaxation and breathing techniques, such as mindfulness and meditation, can help you to relax, change your focus and help you drift back to sleep. This can also help you in the third trimester when you are likely to wake more frequently to wee and sometimes pre-birth thoughts and anxieties kick in. Some people experience vivid dreams about the birth and being a parent so it’s worth having a calming app to hand with meditation or relaxing music to focus the mind elsewhere. Try Headspace or Calm app.

Hormones changes can also cause heartburn and indigestion in early pregnancy, even for those who have never experienced it before. Reduce your intake of greasy foods and at night try raising your bed a little or adding another pillow to help reduce the chance of acid rising while you’re lying in bed and sleeping.

Exercise 

Getting fresh air everyday and getting/being fit can help with sleep, along with other physical and mental benefits. 

Doctors recommend 30 – 90 minutes of exercise 3-4 times a week and we would add that a 30 minute walk in the fresh air everyday, whatever the weather, is hugely beneficial. 

Yoga can help to relax the mind and aid the body all the way through pregnancy. There are many pregnancy yoga classes available and worth exploring even if you’ve not done yoga before. 

Sleep position

Sleeping on your side during pregnancy is recommended by the NHS. If (we should probably say when!) your sleep is disrupted in late pregnancy by back pain or digestive discomfort it’s worth putting a pillow under your stomach and between your knees to make you more comfortable. Patients often recommend getting a nursing pillow in pregnancy that you can then use when your arrives, to support your baby when feeding. A recent article by The Independent tested 9 pillows and it’s worth researching if you’re going to buy one.

If you’re uncomfortable during pregnancy, particularly common in the third trimester, we would recommend finding a trained Osteopath, Mctimoney Chiropractor , Craniosacral Therapist or Reflexologist. Many pregnant ladies have reported great results from seeing a specialist for back discomfort and digestive issues such as heartburn and constipation.  

If you have any questions or need any further help then do email us info@qudobaby.com

At Qudo Baby we’re here for parents and babies, from conception through baby’s first year.