What pregnant woman doesn’t enjoy her sleep being interrupted 12 times a night while she goes to the bathroom, sniffles through a stuffy nose and rubs out a few leg cramps? While you may theoretically get eight hours of sleep at night, the sleep disturbances of pregnancy (a good way to prepare you for caring for a newborn in the middle of the night) can leave you feeling quite groggy the next morning. Try some of the suggestions in our problem-solving guide below. Perhaps some of the tactics will gain you some longer stretches of sleep.
Problem: Insomnia
Solutions: Take a warm bath and do some relaxation exercises before bed. Try to stop worrying about things like what color to paint the nursery or who to invite to the baby shower. White noise from something like a fan may help. If your baby is squirming and kicking, try rocking back and forth in bed or rubbing your belly to get him to sleep. If you can’t sleep because you’re worried about labor, arm yourself during the day with information from books and the Internet (take a pass on any negative stories you may come across). Try listening to Dr. Frank Lawlis’s “Positive Birthing” CD. If insomnia becomes a chronic problem, speak to your doctor about the possibility of taking medications.
Problem: Back, hip and leg pain caused by carrying extra weight.
Solutions: Pillows galore! Consider purchasing a U-shaped body pillow made just for pregnant women, or just grab pillows from home and place one behind your back, one under your belly and one between your knees. Hanging out on a heating pad for awhile before bed does wonders for lower back pain, but never fall asleep on one.
Problem: Leg cramps
Solutions: If you feel a leg cramp coming on, keep your toes pointed toward yourself. If you get a cramp anyway, massage the spot until the cramp subsides. Julie Dorset of Kansas City says, “I had bad leg cramps and the doctor recommended I take calcium tablets for them.” Check with your doctor to see whether calcium may help your leg cramps.
Problem: Having to get up to go to the bathroom every couple of hours
Solutions: Limit your caffeine intake and make sure you go to the bathroom before getting into bed. Unfortunately, there’s not too much you can do once your baby settled in on top of your bladder. Jen Wood of Lenexa says, “I was so thankful to finally have my kids and not be pregnant so I wasn’t waking hourly to go to the bathroom. I actually enjoyed the 2 a.m. feedings because at least I could sleep for three hours at a time!”
Problem: Heartburn
Solutions: Keep some Tums on your headboard, nightstand or under your pillow. For worse heartburn, ask your doctor if you can use something like Zantac for longer relief. Sometimes propping up your pillows while you sleep will also help alleviate heartburn.
Problem: Hunger and thirst in the middle of the night
Solutions: Keep a bottle of water by your bed (but of course this will exacerbate the problem of frequent bathroom trips) and some snacks like those packaged peanut butter crackers. If you must get up, grab some milk and/or turkey, both of which contain the sleep-inducing tryptophan.
Problem: Stuffy nose
Solutions: Check with your doctor first, but sometimes a simple saline nasal spray will work just fine. Over-the-counter nasal sprays are recommended for use for no more than a few days, and only if nothing else does the trick.
So now you know you don’t have to wake up feeling like a zombie in the morning just because you’re pregnant! When one of these sleep problems strikes, just try some of the above tricks of the trade for some instant relief. Happy slumbering!
Kerrie McLoughlin of Overland Park has experienced her share of sleep disturbances with five pregnancies.