Trouble Sleeping During Pregnancy Isn’t Inevitable

By: Beth Walsh for Uterus1

Although many pregnant women have trouble sleeping, especially in the third trimester, problems getting good shut-eye aren’t a foregone conclusion. Getting enough sleep is important for pregnant women; studies have shown that women who got less than six hours of sleep a night for their last month of pregnancy had longer labors (29 hours versus 18 hours) and a greater risk of having a C-section, as compared to women who logged at least seven hours of sleep nightly.

Take Action

Cut down on nighttime trips to the bathroom by drinking plenty of fluids during the day but limiting your intake in the hours before you go to bed. Have a snack before bedtime to stave off nighttime hunger and nausea. Make your bedroom a comfortable place to sleep. Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Use pillows to prop yourself on your side. A pillow between your legs to support the hips also can help. If fear and anxiety about the birth and becoming a parent are keeping you up, consider a childbirth or parenting class.

Seventy-eight percent of women have insomnia and other sleep problems during pregnancy. Of course, the main reason for this is that a growing fetus causes a variety of discomforts – and other common physical symptoms may interfere with sleep as well.

The kidneys of pregnant women work harder to filter the increased volume of blood, which is 30 to 50 percent more than before pregnancy. This filtering process results in more urine. Plus, the growing baby puts pressure on the bladder. Oftentimes, a fetus is more active at night which also adds to the amount of pressure on the bladder.

Heart rate increases during pregnancy as well, in order to pump the increased volume of blood. As more of the blood supply goes to the uterus, the heart works harder to send enough blood to the rest of the body. As the enlarging uterus takes up more space, it puts pressure on the diaphragm. This can make pregnant women feel short of breath. The body’s oxygen needs increase so pregnant women tend to breathe faster and more deeply.

The extra weight of pregnancy can cause leg cramps and backaches. A pregnant woman will probably be more sensitive to these discomforts when she tries to go to sleep, when the regular distractions of the day fall away. About a quarter of pregnant women will develop restless legs syndrome. This condition can be related to iron deficiency, which becomes increasingly common after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Women with the problem should have their iron levels checked.

Many women also experience heartburn during pregnancy. Heartburn occurs when the stomach’s contents flow backwards up into the esophagus. During pregnancy, the entire digestive system slows down and food tends to remain in the stomach and intestines longer, which may cause heartburn or constipation.

There are plenty of reasons for disturbed sleep during pregnancy but there are many steps you can take to address the challenges: