This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure here.
Keep reading this post for all the tried and true tips if you can’t sleep during pregnancy.
Sleep is vital for our bodies for many reasons. It helps us to restore energy, repair and regrow cells, regulate our emotions, brain and heart function, and build up our immune response. Sleep is incredibly important for anyone, but especially while pregnant. You are growing new life after all! The sad reality is that around 79% of pregnant women struggle with sleep. Chances are if you’re reading this you are struggling with sleep yourself. I hope some of the solutions below can bring you some relief and help you get better sleep!
Can’t Sleep During Pregnancy- 10 Things You Need to Try:
Pregnancy Pillows
Ah the famous pregnancy pillow! Pregnancy pillows can provide a lot of relief for our backs and bellies during pregnancy and really anytime! There are so many options for pregnancy pillows. I have personally tried two different pillows. While they did provide relief in some ways, there are a few downfalls I have found.
The first pillow I tried was the Back N’ Belly Pregnancy Pillow. This pillow is contoured to help support your belly as well as your back and is very snug and fluffy. It is also LARGE. It provided a lot of support and helped me to get into a comfy position to fall asleep. However, once asleep, you are so snug in the pillow that it can sometimes cause you to move around less during sleep. This can leave you laying on one side for too long, causing some discomfort when you wake up. This is definitely personal preference! I know some women who can’t live without this pillow and continued to use it long after pregnancy.
The second pillow I tried was the PharMeDoc Pregnancy Pillow. This pillow is contoured on one side and features one straight side that is removable with a zipper. This allows you to use the straight side just as a full body pillow if you would like. This pillow is comfy and provides support but isn’t as intrusive as the Back N’ Belly and doesn’t trap you in as much. However, because of that I feel like I am constantly adjusting the pillow throughout the night. Again, every pillow is going to have pros and cons and I highly recommend trying them out and reading through reviews.
Propping up or sleeping in a recliner
Pregnancy comes with heartburn or acid reflux for a large majority of pregnant women. Keeping yourself propped up rather than lying flat so that acid doesn’t travel up your esophagus is a must. It is also important to note that laying on your left side can also be helpful to keep acid at bay. If you have a recliner that you are comfortable sleeping in, I hear this can be a lifesaver. I don’t have a recliner but I do keep myself pretty propped up at night and I tend to sleep on my left. Side note: taking an acid reducer and avoiding eating right before bed also helps! Consult your doctor for pregnancy safe acid reducers.
Avoiding liquids before bed
Everyone knows that pregnancy is associated with more trips to the bathroom. Unfortunately, the further along in your pregnancy the harder this is to avoid, even at night. Avoiding taking in a lot of liquid and emptying your bladder before bed is imperative to getting as much sleep as possible!
Working out a few hours before bed
It is scientifically proven that completing a workout or some form of physical activity before bed will help you fall asleep more quickly and improve your sleep quality. The timing, however, is important. Exercising too close to bedtime can keep some people awake. Giving yourself time to “wind down” after a workout is important as exercising releases endorphins. According to research, giving yourself 1-3 hours between your workout and bedtime is best!
Maintain a consistent bedtime routine
Having a routine before bed can be key for getting better sleep. Our bodies have something called Circadian Rhythm, more commonly known as our internal clock. That bedtime routine may be what kickstarts your body into producing melatonin. Doing things in the evening that you know are going to relax you can really set the mood and make you sleepy! Getting in your exercise, taking a shower or bath, applying lotion, removing artificial light or at least blue light (silencing that smart phone), etc. every night around the same time will help you fall asleep faster!
Sleepy Lotion
Speaking of adding applying lotion to your nighttime routine; one of the things that I have tried recently is this sleepy lotion from 8 Sheep Organics. This helps with restless legs, aches and pains, leg cramps, and you aren’t limited to your legs! You can use this on your lower back, hips, or anywhere you are experiencing discomfort at night. I also love the ingredient label on this product as it is minimal you can recognize everything on it. The ingredients include Organic Mango Butter, Organic Coconut Oil, Natural Magnesium Chloride Salts, Organic Beeswax, Organic Essential Oils, and Distilled Water. This is definitely a new staple of my bedtime routine!
Elevating your legs
This is a tip straight from my OB. She suggests that we elevate our legs 1-2 hours before bed, which will get your kidneys working and will help you to eliminate liquids from your bladder before bed. This will in turn hopefully allow you to sleep through the night. The less trips to the bathroom the better!
Setting the thermostat to 65
The ideal temperature to sleep in, according to several sleep studies, is 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Our body temperature naturally decreases in the evening, or about two hours before we go to sleep. This temperature dip also coincides with the release of melatonin.
So, setting the thermostat to a temperature between 60 and 67 degrees can aid in regulating our body temperature and sending the signal to our brains that its time for sleep.
Turn off artificial light
It has been established that artificial light can interfere with our sleep. One reason being that artificial light can suppress melatonin levels. Therefore, having the TV on in the evening or scrolling social media in bed can really throw off the natural process our bodies go through to get us ready for sleep. Try to turn off the TV an hour or so before bed. Cover any light sources, like lights from the TV, alarm clocks, cell phones, etc. before bed. Try out some room darkening curtains if you have a lot of light coming in from the outside. This will help with your natural sleep and wake cycle!
Take a warm shower or bath before bed
Studies show that people who bathe one to two hours before bed fall asleep faster. Like we discussed before, your body temperature dropping in the evening helps release melatonin and start the circadian rhythm. Taking a warm shower will cause your body temperature to rise and then stepping out of that shower will then trigger your body temperature to drop. We are basically tricking our body into starting the process. Just keep in mind that baths should not be too hot, as they can raise your body temperature too much and put baby at risk. Check with your doctor to see what temperatures are safe during pregnancy.
Trying a good combination of the above could really improve your quality of sleep if you can’t sleep during pregnancy. Practicing some of these things regularly will help you create routine, improve your self care and can just be overall relaxing. Do you have any tried and true methods for getting a better night’s sleep during pregnancy?
This post was all about the the tried and true tips if you can’t sleep during pregnancy.
[…] be plain impossible to get comfortable in bed with your new accessory bump. There are certainly things you can do to help you sleep better while pregnant but catching all the z’s before baby comes isn’t as easy as it may […]