Sleep Tips for Pregnant Women

The last few months of pregnancy do a number on your body and your sleep cycle with frequent bathroom calls, backaches, leg cramps, and increased size! There are ways to get comfortable and recharge your body before your baby arrives. Here are some helpful tips:

Place pillows between your legs and behind your back. There are full-length body and maternity pilllows on the market that you may be interested in, as well, that will form-fit your body and growing belly. These are nice because they can be adjusted to the size of your growing baby within.

Sleep on your left side which is said to help nutrients and blood flow to your growing baby and uterus and also aids in keeping the weight off of your kidneys. This will help them perform their function of waste and fluid removal more easily. Sleeping on your back may cause backaches, which pregnant women don’t need more of, because of the increased pressure on the back. To keep yourself from rolling over to your back, place some pillows behind you to save yourself from another nighttime wakeup call.

Near the end of the pregnancy, you may want to elevate your upper body to aid your breathing. Pillows, once again, come in handy. Place some behind your torso or have your partner raise part of your mattress.

Try new positions until you find the ones that make you the most comfortable. You deserve it.

Here are some additional tips to help you get a restful night’s sleep:

Limit your caffeine intake, especially in the latter part of the day.

When turning in for the night, pull the drapes, lower the temperature, and try to forget your anxieties and worries for a few hours.

Don’t do any stressful or vigorous activities before bedtime like reading a mystery thriller or exercising. Do something relaxing like taking a warm bubble bath, having your partner massage your feet, or just talking with him about future plans.

Stay away from spicy foods that can cause heartburn and indigestion.

Try to keep your bedtime routine a ritual. Go to bed at the same time every night and store up sleep, like a squirrel stores nuts, before your little one arrives.

If you are having trouble getting to sleep, get up and drink a glass of warm milk, take a bubble bath, or read until you get sleepy.

Now is the time to get the rest your body needs. Your body will thank you for it.