8 Tips for Better Sleep While Pregnant
Being pregnant is one of the most rewarding experiences of your lifetime but comes with its own set of challenges such as pregnancy sleep disorders. While sleep is absolutely essential for the health of you and baby, changes your body experiences may make it difficult to achieve a good night’s sleep.
Some of these changes are chemical while others are physical. Whether hormones or back pain, we want you to get the sleep you need and crave!
Tips for Better Sleep While Pregnant
There are simple lifestyle adjustments you can make to help you get the sleep you need. We’re exploring 8 tips for better sleep while pregnant:
- Stay active during the daytime
- Develop a regular sleep/wake cycle
- Cut down on fluid intake before bed
- Take naps if you need them
- Avoid blue light exposure at night
- De-stress before you go to bed
- Sleep in the right position for comfort and safety
- Keep your bedroom cool
Stay Active During the Day While Pregnant
While exercise is important at all points in life, it’s especially important in order to get better sleep while pregnant. Unless told otherwise by your healthcare professional, at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day helps better your mood, improve poor blood circulation (which can help prevent pregnancy cramps and swelling), and help you achieve more restful sleep at night.
If you do opt to exercise, finish up at least two hours before you intend to go to bed. This lets you release pent up energy and have time to come down from your adrenaline rush before trying to rest. Exercising too close to going to bed could accidentally have the opposite effect and leave you wide awake wishing for sleep.
Develop a Regular Sleep/Wake Cycle During Pregnancy
You’ll get better sleep while pregnant if you prioritize developing a sleeping and waking cycle as soon as possible. Our bodies love to get into a rhythm and respond well to consistency. If you try to wake up and go to bed at the same time every day (this includes weekends, ladies), you’ll find you’ll fall asleep faster and get more restful sleep.
Reduce Liquids Before Bed When Pregnant
This tip for better sleep while pregnant can really be for everyone! Drinking too much liquid before bed, especially when you’re pregnant, can lead to having to get up one or more times in the middle of the night to use the restroom. When you’re up, you’re breaking your sleep cycle and not getting enough rest. This can be a downward spiraling cycle that leads to being tired all day and restless at night. Sleep is crucial!
Pregnancy Naps are Helpful
We realize we just told you to get a consistent wake/sleep cycle while you’re pregnant and now we’re saying to take naps when you need them. So which is right? Both!
Studies have shown that naps while pregnant could contribute to reducing the chance of a low birth weight for your baby. Those studies aside, you’re growing a life inside you! If you need to take a nap to get more rest then you absolutely should. It’s important to monitor your nap times, however, and keep them to 20-30 minutes in order to avoid disrupting your regular sleep cycle and continuing to get better sleep while pregnant.
If you opt for a nap during the day, a zero gravity chair can be your best friend. Not only are they comfortable, but in zero gravity position weight is distributed evenly along the body which reduces pressure on the lower back and sciatic nerve system, blood circulation is improved (which can reduce swelling), you can achieve better sleep quality. Some zero gravity chairs even have smart wakeup programs that will help keep your nap time in check!
Avoid Blue Light Exposure Before Bedtime While Pregnant
One of our biggest (and most overlooked) tips for better sleep while pregnant is avoiding blue light exposure before bedtime. Blue light emitted from all those screens we are so attached to can greatly disrupt your ability to sleep. To get better sleep while pregnant we suggest turning off those screens at least an hour before bedtime so your brain can start to unwind and prepare for rest.
If you’re the kind of person who loves to watch tv or play on your phone, consider getting blue light blocking glasses. These tools help block blue wavelength light that boosts reaction time, increases your alertness, and is keeping you from getting sleepy!
Let Go of Stress and Anxiety Before Bed
Reducing stress and anxiety while pregnant is essential for your health and baby’s. While there are lots of simple activities you can do to help manage stress levels while pregnant, we love meditation.
Meditation helps you improve your mood, manage stress levels, and reduce anxiety all while calming your mind and readying you for better sleep while pregnant. You can meditate absolutely anywhere. If you have a zero gravity chair you can meditate for your mental health while your physical health is boosted in the background! Who doesn’t love whole body self care?
Find a Comfortable and Safe Sleeping Position During Pregnancy
Finding a comfortable and safe position is crucial for better sleep while pregnant. As you progress in your pregnancy, sleeping flat is discouraged as the weight can reduce blood flow to the lower parts of your body and restrict nutrient delivery to your growing baby.
Sitting upright using pillows can be uncomfortable so finding an alternative can be helpful. This is where the health benefits of zero gravity position during pregnancy save the day again! Your newest favorite piece of furniture helps you sleep in a comfortable, safe position for you and baby.
Not only does it keep from adding extra pressure along the body, the zero gravity position helps fight sleep apnea, a common maladie with pregnant women that can have serious consequences. Sleep apnea can cause the blood pressure to rise and oxygen levels to decrease. This can lead to very serious complications like preeclampsia. Avoiding health risks to you and baby and getting better sleep while pregnant are key reasons to find what sleep position and setup works best for you.
Keep Your Cool While You Sleep
Last on our list of tips for better sleep while pregnant is to keep your cool while you sleep! We already covered keeping emotionally cool by meditating to reduce stress and anxiety. Here we mean to literally lower the temperature in your bedroom. Keeping your bedroom cool can help you sleep more soundly, waking more rested. Studies have shown that the ideal room temperature for sleeping is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
Your pregnancy journey is exciting and will be full of memories on its own. Don’t let one of those memories be sleeping poorly! Whether it’s turning down the thermostat, choosing a zero gravity chair for self care, or adopting an exercise routine we hope our list of tips for better sleep while pregnant helps you get the rest you need.
Bonus Tip: Another great way for some pregnancy self care is with massage! Learn how you can use zero gravity chair massage during pregnancy to feel great.
