Is Insomnia Making Your Pregnancy More Tiring? Find Out How To Sleep Better

July 21, 2012 0 Comments

By Mary Speller

A lot of women have difficulty sleeping during their pregnancy, mostly due to hormonal changes that occur at this time. Some have difficulty getting to sleep in the first place. Others have a problem returning to sleep after waking in the night. And some tired mums-to-be have a problem with both. If you need a good nights sleep, keep reading and find out how to sleep better.

Medications when pregnant are best avoided, but a routine can be followed which will make a significant difference to your sleeping patterns. It is best always to relax as much as possible in the evenings before bedtime, and to head for bed only when you are genuinely drowsy, and mentally ready to sleep.

A good idea is to have yourself a light supper, preferably using foods that will encourage you to feel sleepy, such as warm milk. Do avoid sugary or fatty things at supper time, and certainly avoid any stimulants like caffeine, as well as ensuring that you eat only a little. It would perhaps be best not to enter into lively discussions just before bedtime either, as these tend to keep the mind too active.

Warm baths or showers just before turning in are excellent in two ways, because the hot water not only relaxes and helps soothe pregnancy soreness but also helps induce drowsiness. This water therapy works at any time, though it will not hurt your chances of satisfying sleep by indulging in a little light reading or mindless television viewing just prior to getting into bed. This works before bedtime as well as in the middle of the night.

Pregnant women tend to find their minds racing with all they need both to consider and actually do on a daily basis, so the act of deliberately setting out to calm themselves in late evenings is the best preparation for restful sleep. Of course it may be that you find yourself wakeful in spite of all your efforts, and if so you need to get up again and do something for a set length of time before returning to bed, an action which avoids the frustration of fighting insomnia in vain. By learning about how to sleep better, you can learn techniques to reduce your wakeful nights.

Try also to have your days organised so that you both retire and get up at set times, because this too helps with a good sleep experience. Avoid cat-napping during the day and rather than stay in bed in the morning, go for a walk to combat that morning sickness. .

Remember that many pregnant women experience water retention; so bear this in mind when it comes to liquid intake. Drinking too much water can lead to swollen extremities that can be uncomfortable, making getting to sleep even more difficult. Be sure to talk to your GP about vitamin B tablets as well, because during pregnancy these are very important.

An obviously increased anxiety level, may, during pregnancy, cause you to get overly excited and anxious, so it does no harm to take time out to both learn and to perfect your relaxation and breathing techniques, very useful during labour.

Many herbal teas can help treat the sleeplessness, but remember to consult your doctor about their possible effects, because even though mint is noted for calming you, it can lower blood pressure, so care must be taken in choosing and use of such remedies.

Adding a little honey to your warm milk is very good for treating insomnia, helping assuage the hunger pangs that may keep you awake. To be perfectly honest, when you learn how to sleep better, you will find much of what is involved in ensuring that insomnia during pregnancy does not trouble you is simple common sense.

The more relaxed you can make yourself in those final hours before bed-time, the better the chances of you sleeping like a baby, so why suffer needlessly?

Is your pregnancy more exhausting than it should be? If you want to learn more about how to sleep better you will find out at http://howtocureinsomnia.biz

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *