For expectant mothers, sleeping is vital. This is because during pregnancy undergoes many metabolic processes to form the fetus and your typical body’s function.
Hence you are meant to sleep for about 10 hours a day to energize you and keep you active when pregnant. While sleeping is essential, your sleeping positions in the first, second, and third trimesters, and how to sleep when pregnant is also essential.
This is because the way you sleep during pregnancy is quite different from how to sleep every other.
When you start having a baby bump, you have to be extra careful and sleep in the correct position, so the baby’s weight does not compress major organs and blood flow.
This post is on everything one needs to know about sleeping when pregnant, from how to sleep better when pregnant, when to stop sleeping on the stomach, when to stop sleeping on the back, positions to sleep in, and so much more. Let’s get started by answering some frequently asked questions relating to sleep and pregnancy.
When Should I Stop Sleeping On My Stomach During Pregnancy?
This was a major deal-breaker for me during my pregnancy, I kept asking myself when should I stop sleeping on my stomach during pregnancy because this was my best sleeping position.
And the answer is as simple as the best time to stop sleeping on your stomach during pregnancy is when you start having a belly bum. It should be around the 16th to 18th week of pregnancy.
By this time, sleeping on your stomach will become even more uncomfortable for you. Plus, to avoid the baby’s head pressing major organs, it is best to adopt the correct sleeping position, which is sleeping on your left.
Can You Sleep On Your Stomach When Pregnant First Trimester?
Suppose you want to know if you should sleep on your stomach when pregnant in your first trimester, well, the answer is yes.
It is ok to sleep on your stomach; there won’t be harm done to the baby, but eventually, you will have to change your sleeping position to the left lateral when you have a belly bum, this is how to sleep when pregnant.
When Should You Stop Sleeping On Your Back When Pregnant?
You may want to know when you should stop sleeping on your back when pregnant. Well, the ideal time is around the 20th week of pregnancy.
By this time, your baby bum should be evident to all, and to avoid the weight of the u1terus compressing the Vena cava (a major blood vessel that transports blood back to the heart), you should sleep in the appropriate sleeping position that is sleeping on the side, facing the left.
Sleeping on the back compresses the Rena cava, which can disrupt the blood flow to the baby; when this happens, you will feel discomfort and nausea. This indicates that you should change positions.
How Long Is It Safe To Sleep On Your Back While Pregnant?
If you wonder how long it is safe to sleep on your back while pregnant, know that from the first to the twentieth week, you can choose to sleep on your back or sides during pregnancy, but after that, you will pose a danger to your baby because the baby’s weight may press major organs and blood vessels.
I will advise, though, that you do not have to wait till then; start practicing how to sleep on your left side before the stomach while you reach the 20th week; you will already be used to it.
Can I Hurt My Baby By Sleeping On My Right Side?
You may ask, can I hurt my baby while sleeping on my right side? Well, you may not necessarily harm your baby by sleeping on the right side when Pregnant.
Though, doctors advise that sleeping on the left side is best because it aids the blood circulation and nutrients to the baby quickly, from the heart to the placenta, which is better for the baby. It also does not pressure the baby’s weight on the liver and other organs.
What Position Should You Not Sleep When Pregnant?
What are some sleeping positions you should not sleep in when pregnant? You should not rest on the stomach (after 18 weeks) or sleep on your back. Sleeping on the right side is ok, but sleeping on the left is best.
Sleeping Positions For The First 3 Months
What are the best sleeping positions for the first three months? For the first three months, you can adopt any sleeping position that is more comfortable for you.
For example, you can sleep on your back, belly, and left and right sides. But when you have a belly bum, you should avoid positions like sleeping on the abdomen or the back. Now that we have addressed these questions clearly, let’s move further by discussing how to sleep when pregnant-12 ways.
1. Avoid Caffeine Drinks, Especially In The Evening
The caffeinated drink contains stimulants that can alter body function. It is not advisable to take too much coffee, energy drink, cola, and any other things that contain caffeine.
In fact, they include part of what is not to eat during pregnancy. It is only recommended to take 200g of caffeine a day anytime; aside from that is not advisable for you and your baby.
While taking caffeine, ensure that you do not take it in the evening to keep you awake at night. The stimulant in caffeine naturally alters your sleep circle. Taking caffeine at night would also make you always wake up and wee, which could disturb your sleep pattern.
2. Have Good Sleep Routine
A good sleep routine would help your body develop natural sleep and wake cycle so that you would sleep easily. It would help you sleep and wake up faster.
With a good sleep schedule, you need to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time each day. It would be best if you cleared up your activities before nighttime to sleep earlier.
Have a set time for sleep. It could be 8 pm, 9 pm or 10 pm. Once you are consistent in sleeping at a particular time, your body will adjust to it, and you will find out that you find it easier to sleep.
So as not to oversleep, you may set the alarm for a particular wake-up time, say 6 am or 7 am. With a consistent sleep routine, you will quickly fall asleep when pregnant.
It can help if you carry out before-bed activities like bathing every night, saying your prayers, reading a novel or magazine, or playing music as part of your sleep routine.
These activities set the tone for a good night’s sleep. Sort would be cool, including them into our bedtime routine; it is how to sleep when pregnant.
3. Sleep On Your Left Side
During your first and second trimesters, when you have no belly bum, you may continue to sleep on your back, left or right sides, or even on your stomach.
But once your belly starts showing, it is advisable to sleep on your left side when pregnant. Sleep on your left lateral side, with the knees slightly bent. This position( the left lateral position) helps promote blood flow to the growing fetus.
Plus, the liver, a major organ, rests on the right side of the abdomen; sleeping on the right side might compress it, so it is essential to sleep on the left side when pregnant. Of course, not all pregnant women might love sleeping on the left side, mainly if they are not used to it.
If you are not used to sleeping on your left side before, I would advise that you start practicing in the early months of pregnancy before your belly grows bigger, you should sleep on the left side frequently, from your first trimester through your second trimester, so that when you have grown big, you will find it easier to sleep on your left side.
If you find that you woke up sleeping on your back or your belly, or the right, you do not have to worry, for you can’t completely maintain the left position all through the night; just readjust.
While sleeping on your side, sleeping with the knee bent can give you added comfort, so you may want to try this position. Wake up feeling dizzy, uncomfortable, lightheaded, nauseous.
It could be a sign that you are sleeping in the wrong position, which may be causing discomfort to you and the baby, so change to the appropriate position, and the symptoms will relieve you a bit.
4. Use Body Pillow For Support And Better Sleep
Sleeping with a body pillow is how to sleep when pregnant. It gives you extra support and makes you more comfortable when pregnant.
A body pillow is handy when you have grown a belly bump and experience symptoms in pregnancy like back, waist, and knees pains due to the baby’s weight.
Body pillows also make sleeping on the left side easier, which is the best position to sleep when pregnant. When purchasing a pregnancy pillow, you should get a firm but soft pillow to sag quickly and still support your weight.
Getting a body pillow that is too hard or too soft may not be ideal. To use a body/pregnancy pillow while sleeping, rest the bed and lie on the left side.
Next, rest your head on the head of the pillow, then tuck it under your abdomen between your knees, behind your back, and anywhere that would make you more comfortable.
If you have do not have a pregnancy pillow, you can still use the regular pillows. Place one pillow on your head, another on your back between your knees, and one to support your abdomen. This is how to sleep when pregnant.
5. Reduce The Quantity Of Food You Eat Before Bedtime
to wade off the risk of heartburn, indigestion, and discomfort when sleeping, you must avoid eating heavy meals before bedtime. In addition, eating large meals at once in pregnancy is not advisable.
In the post, how to have a belly-only pregnancy and lose weight after giving birth, you will get valuable insights on why eating less food at frequent intervals is better to keep you at the ideal weight than eating heavy meals 3-4times a day.
You may want to check these posts out to get valuable insights into eating right. Now back to sleeping during pregnancy, ensure that you take light meals like tea, bread, sandwich before bed.
Eat about 2-3 hours before bedtime so that your food can digest before lying down. It would help you prevent heartburn and constipation.
However, eat more meals at frequent intervals during the daytime. If you feel hungry before bed, you can take a few plain crackers and a few sips of water.
Reduce the number of fluids you take before bed. It is essential to take lots of fluid during pregnancy because your body is carrying out a lot of metabolic processes.
Despite that, taking as much as 2 to 3 cups of water or other fluids before bed is not advisable because you will be pressed to wee every time.
You will have to wake up more. Since this will disturb your sleep, taking too much fluid before bedtime is not how to sleep when pregnant.
So while you can take fluid, reduce its Intake at bedtime. Fluids you shouldn’t before are caffeinated drinks or any caffeinated products. Too sugary drinks can alter your sleep pattern.
6. Create A Sleep Inducing Environment
in addition to having a bedtime routine, limiting what you eat and drink before bedtime, and other tips listed above, another tip that would help you find how to sleep when pregnant is creating a sleep-inducing environment.
This greatly impacts how fast you sleep and the quality of sleep you get. Of course, you know that sleeping when there is noise, too loud music or people talking, or bright light can be distracting.
So try to make your sleep are as comfortable as possible. Minimize the noise in the home during bedtime, dim the light, and use a bed lamp.
Your room should be neat and clean, use fresh bed sheets, bed neatly made, dust or crumbs free. The room shouldn’t be cluttered.
If there is noise nearby, you can use soft music to block out the noise. You may also consider purchasing a sound machine (this would be useful for your newborn so that it won’t be a waste of cash).
Ensure your room is ventilated but not chilly. Switch off your phone or any other electronic that could distract you from sleeping early; having a warm shower can also aid you to sleep faster. This is how to sleep when pregnant.
7. Exercise
Exercise is a great way to unwind and relax the body. It also regulates your sleep during pregnancy. You can try out great exercises like prenatal yoga, meditation, etc., which are great for your mental health.
You can also do simple exercises like taking a walk for about 30minutes riding on a stationary bike, taking light stretches. Whatever you do, do not engage in strenuous exercises.
You have to exercise does not mean that you should experience stress and strain yourself. Avoid high contact exercises or sports like boxing, bungee jumping, biking, wrestling, running, etc.
Ensure that you do not plan your exercise sessions close to bedtime, as the adrenaline rush could make it difficult to fall asleep.
Exercises help you stretch your muscles and make them flexible.
It also enables you to relax the backache and waist during pregnancy, plus it helps keep you active and maintain the ideal weight. In addition, carrying out exercise before bedtime will ensure that you sleep almost immediately after you get into bed.
If you have health issues, be sure to ask your doctors about the appropriate exercise, so you do not overcomplicate your health condition during pregnancy.
8. Napping During The Day
Well, sleeping in the morning and afternoon can make it quite difficult to sleep at night, but if you get exhausted, you should rest. Sleeping for 30 minutes to an hour can help you feel refreshed, which is very important for your health.
After resting during the day, to aid sleep better at night, you can do some light exercises to naturally time your body so that you can sleep to bedtime.
9. Your Food Plays A Role
It is no news that what you eat during pregnancy will slightly differ from when you were not pregnant; because your metabolic rate will slightly differ/alter.
What you eat, particularly before bedtime, greatly matters. As a rule, you shouldn’t eat 2 hours before bedtime. It is essential that your body should have digested the food eaten. It also prevents constipation.
The kinds of food you should avoid spicy food and greasy food, especially before bedtime, because they can keep you awake and make you find it difficult to sleep.
Fatty foods can also cause you heartburn and make you feel constipated and discomfort when sleeping food you take light meals before bed. You can eat more during the day.
Avoid sugary stuff close to bedtime. It tends to keep you awake even when you are tired, and it is not how to sleep when pregnant.
If you feel hungry before bed, instead of eating again, munch some snacks like a piece of dry crackers with a glass of milk or a granola bar, and of course, do not take it too much, just enough to reduce your hunger.
10. Try Relaxation Techniques
You may not necessarily take a nap during the day. Instead, you can find ways to relax your body and mind if you are tired. Make this a routine, and you will find out that you have a better sleep when it gets closer to bedtime.
Limit strenuous activities you carry out during the day and find ways to unwind. It could be reading a novel, watching a documentary, flipping through a magazine, etc.
You can also try meditation or prenatal yoga, and these help you relax, ease out the stress of the day, ease out the anxiety of pregnancy.
While meditating, visualize positive pregnancy and delivery, you can chart several positive birth affirmations (check out 50 positive birth affirmations here).
11. Massage Is Also A Great Relaxation Technique To Set You In The Right Tone Before Bed
Get your partner to help you massage your back, waist, feet, shoulder, etc. The parts that would keep you stiff and make you relieve discomfort with a massage would surely help you feel sleepy. Start preparing your body for sleep in the 1-2 hours before bedtime.
That is not the time to start having a discussion or too much mental stimulation; reducing activities on the phone, computer, or TV can decrease melatonin production (Sleep hormones). When you naturally unwind, it prepares your body for sleep and makes you fall sick easily.
12. Prepare Yourself For Bed
Before climbing into bed, prepare yourself for sleep. As stated earlier, bedtime is not the time to begin eating dinner or exercising or carrying out activities with excessive mental stimulation.
The room should be neat and create a sleep-inducing environment. Before bed, take a shower to feel clean and fresh, avoid wearing anything too tight and clingy. A soft cotton nightgown that is free or a silk Pajama is an excellent option to help you sleep more comfortably.
Of course, you need your bed free from crumbs, the room neat, the temperature should be moderate (not too not or cold). This is how you sleep when pregnant.
If you have been finding it difficult to sleep when pregnant or have adopted the wrong positions, I believe this post How to sleep when pregnant -12 ways, have given you valuable insights on how to sleep better during pregnancy. I hope you try these tips and let us know how they worked for you. Do not also forget to share with your fellow preggy friends.
Save this for later mama!
