Although you need more sleep during pregnancy, sleep eludes as many as 8 out of 10 pregnant women, Harvard Health Publications reports. Sleeplessness in pregnancy can have a negative impact on labor, notes the University of California School of Nursing, resulting in longer labors and an increased rate of cesarean delivery. Sleep becomes more difficult in the third trimester of pregnancy, when the weight of the baby, the increase in heartburn and more frequent urination may have you trudging up and down several times a night. Improve your sleep by taking steps to decrease sleep disturbances during pregnancy.
Lean to the Left
Lying on your stomach is impossible toward the end of pregnancy, and back sleepers often experience extreme discomfort during pregnancy. Lying on your back isn't the best position for your baby either. You may become short of breath on your back, develop backache from the pressure of the baby's weight or decrease blood supply to your heart and the baby's because of pressure on major blood vessels such as the vena cava. Lying on your left side supplies the most oxygen and blood flow to the uterus, the American Pregnancy Association reports. Pregnancy pillows---long sausage-like pillows that support your stomach and leg while you lie on your side---may help you sleep better.
Lift Your Head
Breathing is difficult at the end of pregnancy if you're lying flat, so elevate your head on at least one pillow, even if you normally sleep without a pillow. Elevating your head also helps with heartburn, another common cause of nighttime restlessness during pregnancy.
Manage Fluids at Night
Although staying hydrated is important during pregnancy, drinking during the last hour before bed can increase the odds---which are already good, especially in late pregnancy---that you'll have to get up at least once during the night to use the bathroom. Equally important, however, is to heed the urge if you've got to go. Urinary stasis, which is urine accumulation in the bladder, can result in infection.
You're more likely to develop a urinary tract infection during pregnancy because of decreased bladder tone, increased urine volume and the presence of glucose in the urine, lead author John Delzell, M.D., of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine reports on the American Academy of Family Physicians website. A urinary tract infection can cause frequent and painful urination that will have you up at night and interrupt your sleep even more, so when you have to go, go.
Avoid Heartburn
Heartburn keeps many pregnant women awake at night. To avoid being one of them, eat small meals rather than large ones and avoid any foods that trigger heartburn for you, such as fried or spicy foods or acidic food such as tomato-based products, Harvard Health Publications suggests.
References
- American Pregnancy Association: Sleeping Positions During Pregnancy
- Harvard Health Publications: Getting a Good Night's Sleep During Pregnancy
- University of California: Inadequate Sleep in Late Pregnancy May Influence Labor and Delivery
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Urinary Tract Infections During Pregnancy; John Delzell, M.D., 2000
- Women's Healthcare Topics: Pregnancy Pillows
