Getting a good night's sleep when you are pregnant can feel impossible. As your pregnancy advances, your belly will grow bigger, your baby's kicks will get stronger, and you will feel like you have to pee every 20 minutes which in turn, adds up to a lot of time spent awake at night and not enough sleeping and resting. While every mommies-to-be has different experiences with pregnancy insomnia, here are some tips that you can consider to improve the quality of your sleep throughout your pregnancy.
1. Create a consistent bedtime routine
Try your best to establish a consistent, soothing, and comforting bedtime routine each night to signal your body and brain that it is time to rest. As bedtime approaches, try a few of these soothing rituals to help you wind down:
- take a warm bath
- read a chapter of a pleasant book
- drink a cup of caffeine-free tea or a warm cup of milk with honey
- use aromatherapy in your bedroom (a diffuser or pillow spray will do the trick!)
- get a shoulder massage or have your hair brushed gently
2. Sleep on your side
Once you hit 20 weeks milestone, doctors recommend that you sleep on your left side only to help with blood flow to the fetus and to your kidneys and uterus. Hence, to help you achieve comfort in the second half of your pregnancy, try stacking a bunch of pillows to support you —one under your knee and another under your belly. Or you can invest in a special pregnancy body pillow.
Hugsie 8-in-1 Maternity Pillow Comfort Series
Theraline Comfort Nursing & Maternity Pillow
Red Castle Big Flopsy Maternity & Nursing Pillow
3. Get some exercise — even if you don't want to!
We know it is hard these days but even a walk can improve blood circulation and help reduce leg cramps at night. However, don't work out too close to bedtime because working out releases adrenaline that can keep you awake at night. So, be done with your workout at least two hours before bed!
4. Minimize blue light exposure at night
This is what all of us are guilty of! Blue light, the light emitted by electronic devices with screens can awfully affect your body's ability to fall asleep at night as it is tricking your body into thinking it is still daytime. Hence, to minimize the influence that blue light has on your body at night, turn off or set aside all electronics at least an hour before bedtime. This will give your body time to rest and slow down.
5. Keep your room dark
To help your body get a night of deep sleep, make your room as dark as possible. This means, covering your window with blackout curtains and getting rid of all light sources in your room — including your digital clock or electronic devices that glow. Even the slightest light from a nightlight can hinder the secretion of melatonin (a hormone that helps you fall asleep).
