Morning sickness, aches, pains, and cravings are among the most common symptoms during pregnancy. Pregnancy insomnia is a thing! If you’re experiencing insomnia during your pregnancy, you’re definitely not alone. Studies and research shows that anywhere from 20% to 60% of pregnant women experience insomnia during some point of their pregnancy.
Between the normal physical discomfort experienced during pregnancy and worrying about bringing a little one into the world, there tends to be plenty to keep a person up at night. Insomnia actually comes in a couple of different forms; you could have trouble falling asleep at your normal bedtime or you can wake in the middle of the night, and struggle to get back to sleep.
While taking medications to help you sleep, that’s risky business during a pregnancy, especially in the first trimester. That being said, there are natural things you can do to combat pregnancy insomnia.
Go To Bed Sleepy
Sometimes the issue with falling asleep when you first go to bed is that you might be wound up. If your body isn’t physically or mentally ready to sleep, you could be fighting a losing battle. Hitting the sack when you’re truly ready to sleep can increase the likelihood that you’ll catch some Zs.
- Try avoiding caffeine later than early afternoon.
- Avoid vigorous exercise or physical activity past late afternoon.
- Skip heavy conversations before bed.
- If you avoid stimulants in the late afternoon and into the evening, you can set yourself up for a peaceful night’s sleep.
Sleep-Inducing Snacks
A healthy bedtime snack can help anyone fall asleep. However, you’ll want to avoid overdoing it since pregnancy tends to give women heartburn after heavy meals or food, which is counterproductive as heartburn can keep you awake.
A turkey sandwich or warm milk are a couple of classic sleep inducers. Below are a few more excellent options.
Relaxation Exercises
Deep breathing, meditation, and even progressive muscke relaxion techniques can help calm the mind and body, which helps prepare for a good night’s sleep. You can also set the mood by dimming lights, closing blinds or curtains, and turning on some relaxing music.
Enjoy A Warm Bath
A shower or warm bath can help relax you enough to prepare you for sleep. Not only can it help you relax but it will also help alleviate any aches or soreness you’re experiencing. If pregnancy aches or leg cramps are keeping you awake at night, soak in a warm Epsom salt bath to ease the pain and relax your muscles.
Don’t Stay In Bed
Whether you’re just laying down for the night and can’t sleep or you’ve woken up and can’t get back to sleep, there’s no point in suffering. Give yourself about thirty-minutes to fall into a slumber and if that doesn’t happen, get out of bed. You can busy yourself with little things to do, or simply switch to the couch or a recliner to see if that helps.
Losing sleep can be a struggle, and even more so during a pregnancy. If you’re dealing with pregnancy insomnia and nothing seems to help, please reach out to your doctor and see what you can do. Sometimes melatonin supplements are enough! You never know unless you find out.
