How to Treat Insomnia in Early Pregnancy
Pregnancy is an amazing time in any woman's life, but it can also be a difficult time of adjustment if you don’t know what to expect, especially when it comes to your sleep routine. It’s mostly predictable to assume that women tend to feel a lot more tired than usual, and may opt for frequent naps throughout the day, and possibly falling asleep a lot earlier than usual. However, what many mothers-to-be may not be so prepared for, is that their quality of sleep tends to drop drastically within the first trimester. One common complaint during early pregnancy is possible insomnia.
Waking up in the middle of the night is common during early pregnancy—especially in the first trimester. However, a large lack of sleep can be due to several factors. While it can be frustrating, there's no need to worry. There are plenty of ways to get more restful sleep during these nine months. In fact, getting enough shut-eye is crucial for your health and the health of your baby. So don't hesitate to start implementing some of these tips into your nightly routine.
What is Causing Your Insomnia?
There can be many factors that can easily affect your sleep routine, and the best way to understand how to go about treating this condition, is to first identify if you are victim to some of these most common circumstances:
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Episodes of anxiety and/or depression
- Vivid dreams (Which can sometimes cause hot or cold sweat outbreaks throughout the night)
- Frequent bathroom trips caused by the need to urinate often
- Hunger urges
- Eating spicy food, which can lead to digestive issues (especially if consumed closer to bedtime)
- Experiencing one, or multiple physical discomforts, such as:
- Breast tenderness
- Back Pain
- Heartburn
- Abdominal tightness or muscle pain
- Restless leg syndrome (RLS)
- Shortness of breath (Although, this symptom is typically more common within the second or third trimesters). Other causes that relate to shortness of breath, can include snoring, or even slight pauses in breathing, which can be categorized as apnea.
What Can I Do, If I’m Experiencing Insomnia?
Luckily, there are many simple suggestions that can assist in helping you create a natural bedtime routine, so that you can enjoy early pregnancy, and get the necessary sleep that will benefit both you, and your baby!
DIET & EXERCISE
Becoming pregnant means a lot of changes in the way you intake healthy nutrients. It’s important to focus on what you consume, but equally important is when you consume it. Eat slowly during mealtimes, and avoid too much spicy food to avoid indigestion while you sleep.
Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is always recommended, but perhaps minimizing your intake closer to the evening hours will help from frequent trips to the bathroom throughout the night. Avoid caffeine during pregnancy altogether, especially before bed! A nice warm beverage can sometimes help settle your body down, and better prepare for rest, for example, a nice warm glass of milk.
Healthy exercise will be one of the most recommended activities for pregnancies. However, drastic changes are not necessarily suggested. For example, if you are regularly athletic, and enjoy frequent walks, or jogs, it’s actually best to maintain that daily routine, as your body develops your baby around your existing exercise. If you don’t exercise regularly, a daily walk can make a big difference to help with overall body circulation, and will certainly contribute to helping you rest better at night.
TRY TO RELAX
Think of some activities that you enjoy, that calm you down. Consider perhaps reading for a while before bedtime, instead of watching something on your television screen, or cellphone. Another idea would be to take a nice warm shower or bath. Keep in mind that we discourage taking showers or baths that are too hot, as this can affect the development of your baby, especially in the first stages of pregnancy.
Listen to calm, soothing, or even slow music in the background (preferably with little to no lyrics) to help calm your mind into a relaxed state. Meditation is also a great idea and activity to incorporate during this time.
Take deep, slow breaths! This action helps to regulate and slow down your heart rate, which helps in reducing any stress or anxiety that you may be experiencing before bed.
A COMFORTABLE EXPERIENCE
Being conscious of your preparations and your surroundings for sleep is key! Try to dim/turn off all electronic lighting as you ease closer to your bedtime. Experts say it’s best to remove electronic screens from your focus at least one hour beforehand, to help our minds and bodies slow down for the evening ahead.
Setting the overall room temperature to a more comfortable level for your desires can make a big difference. Keep in mind that setting the temperature too high, can result in waking up frequently throughout the night with hot sweats, and cause more of a disturbance. It’s likely that a cooler tone will be preferred, as pregnancies tend to increase hormonal changes in women, resulting in naturally hotter body temperatures.
Finding the right style of pillows to aid in your comfort, can be crucial too. Try placing a pillow between your knees for better hip alignment, or even adding an extra one under your belly, which helps as it grows bigger throughout the upcoming months.
DEVELOP A BEDTIME ROUTINE
Whatever rhythm you find that works best for you and your growing baby, it’s best to stay consistent at it and create a time schedule that you can stay committed to. Our bodies operate with muscle memory, so don’t get discouraged if some of these suggestions don’t work right away. As your body gets used to specific activities just before bed, it will naturally grow to learn when it’s time to call it quits for the day. Give it time, and keep trying!
WHAT TO AVOID
It’s very likely, that perhaps your insomnia isn’t caused by what you need to do, but rather, what you should stop doing altogether. As some of these suggestions have indicated, eating or drinking right before bed can be a large factor in keeping you up at night. Screentime is also a well-known distraction for any sleeper, especially for newly pregnant women. Take your regular habits into consideration, and start weeding out anything that can be keeping you up at night.
Naps are most certainly appreciated during this crucial time for any woman! However, if you find you are having difficulty sleeping at night, it may just be because you’ve been occupying most of your day with naps. Perhaps it’s time to start regulating your naps with a set timer. Keep them shorter and consistently apart, to help your body adjust to the proper sleep it really needs during nighttime hours, rather than during the day.
Lastly, we suggest speaking to your physician before taking any kind of vitamin, medication, or sedative that may aid in helping you sleep better. Although it may seem like a great option or alternative, it may very well not be the best recommendation for you. We always suggest speaking to an experienced pregnancy doctor first, before assuming that it will be the best option.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that insomnia is quite common in the early stages of pregnancies, and about ⅓ of women express that they experienced a period of insomnia early on. It’s a natural tendency to keep in mind since your body is adapting, growing, and changing in so many different ways. This does not mean that there is something particularly wrong, so stay calm. If you’ve tried some of these suggestions, and find that you’re still facing difficulty in sleeping well throughout the night, we always advise you to speak to your doctor about your specific struggles, as they will know which direction to suggest for your specific needs.
