Coping Sleep Disturbances during Pregnancy

Pregnancy brings with it lot of joy, excitement and anticipation. Almost every woman is quite happy for her pregnancy. However, for some, it can be a disturbing time due to serious sleep disturbance. It has been noticed that even the women who never had sleeping problems can have it during pregnancy. Those who already had this may worsen their condition. The lack of sleep makes a pregnant woman tired.

According to 1998 women and sleep poll by National Sleep Foundation, 78% of women have reported sleep disturbances during pregnancy. It also revealed that about 15% of women are facing sleeping problem due to restless leg syndrome during third trimester.

Sleep problems during pregnancy can be a result of various factors. We will describe here few problems and their symptoms:

Restless leg Syndrome: A study over 600 pregnant women reveals that 26% of women have sleep disturbances due to restless leg syndrome. This happens when a woman experience unpleasant feeling in their legs. The worst part is this feeling gets worse during night making sleep more difficult. A short term relief can be attained by slight moving or stretching.

Heartburn: Heartburn is one of the most common problems in pregnancy which again worsens at night. In a study, it was found that almost half of the women suffered from heartburn severe enough to disturb their sleep.

Insomnia: A woman goes through feelings such as anxiety, depression or sadness which can result in insomnia. These feelings keep you awake whole night or you wake too early. Other reasons for insomnia are back pain, nausea, fetal movements and so on.

Breathing difficulty: Some women also experience breathing difficulty while sleeping which is known as sleep apnea. In this, a woman tends to snore heavily with long pauses which causes chocking and thus, disturbing her sleep. Sleep apnea is common in women who are overweight.

Besides these, there can be several other reasons for sleeplessness such as frequent urination, hunger, medications, nausea, snoring, congestion or vivid dreams.

Treatment of all these sleep issues during pregnancy can be bit complicated. This is because; most of the sleeping disorders are treated by some drug therapy. However, these drugs can harm the developing baby. So, these are generally not recommended to a pregnant woman. On the other hand, getting a good night's sleep is very important for the health of mother and baby.

Here are some tips which can help a woman cope up with her sleeping problems.

1. There should a routine for getting in and out of bed. The human body tends to get habitual with the daily routine. If a pregnant woman gets into bed at the same time every day, she will feel less difficulty in sleeping.

2. It is suggested that if a woman does not feel sleepy even after 20-30 minutes of getting into bed, she must start reading novel, listen to some music or watch TV. After a while, she may feel sleepy.

3. In case of sleeplessness, a woman may get disheartened or frustrated. Getting anxious or worried can only make things worse. It is better to stay calm and composed.

4.  A pregnant woman must exercise for at least 30 minutes daily if not restricted by her doctor. Exercise keeps your muscles moving and helps you in getting good night's sleep.

5. The bed room should have a calm and comfortable environment. Lights should be minimal at night. One can also use sound machines to mask the drone of heavy traffic.

6. Studies have shown that taking a warm bath, drinking chamomile tea, listening to quiet soothing music and getting a good hand and foot massage can induce sleep.

7. A pregnant woman should always sleep on her left side to make sure that there is proper flow of blood and nutrients to the fetus and the mother's vital organs.

8. It is also recommended to drink lots of water during day time. However, water intake should be reduced hours before you sleep to avoid urination problems.

9. Spicy, acidic or fried foods can cause heartburn which can disturb sleep. Therefore, a pregnant woman must always opt for healthy and light food during night.

10. During third trimester, most of the women feel difficulties due to big baby bump. Such women must opt for multiple pillows to support their knees, back and abdomen.

11. Day time nap is good but if it disrupts sleep during night, it is better to reduce it for few minutes only.

12. If a woman goes through serious sleep disorder during pregnancy, she must talk to her doctor. However, it must also be kept in mind that insomnia is very normal in pregnancy and you need not worry about it at all.

Studies have revealed that poor sleep can cause considerable effect on the mother and the baby. Women, who slept less than 6 hours per night, had long labor time and also 4.5 times more chances of getting a caesarean delivery. Therefore, improving sleep quality and quantity is an important part of prenatal care.

Some internal problems can also cause sleeplessness. Thus, it is strictly recommended to go for prenatal tests on regular basis. These tests help in identifying any problem with the developing fetus at the right time so that necessary action can be taken. 

Pregnant women are suggested to go for non-invasive prenatal tests such as NACE (Non-Invasive Analysis for Chromosomal Examination). This test determines the possibility of chromosomal abnormalities with high accuracy. It is 100% safe and risk-free test. One can expect its result within 7-10 days.