As well as setting aside extra time for sleep, getting physically active and sleeping on your left side, explored here in part 1, try these slumber-boosting strategies:
1. Address heartburn & reflux
Heartburn and reflux are uber-common conditions among pregnant women.
They’re triggered by a loosening of the barrier (or ‘flap’) that links the stomach with the oesophagus. This looseness can allow acids to re-enter the food pipe, leaving you with a burning sensation near your sternum.
EAT MORE:
The benefits of fermented foods for digestion
Reflux and heartburn can strike just as easily at night as they can during the day. To lessen the impact of these ailments when you’re trying to catch some shut-eye:
- Eat frequent meals during the day, rather than enjoying an extra large meal at night
- Avoid spicy, acidic or fried foods
- Sleep with a wedge of foam under your upper body (so as your head rests around 10-15cm higher than your sternum) or try propping an extra pillow under your head
2. Get up and do something
If you awaken during the night and lay there, trying to force yourself to sleep, you could be stockpiling anxiety and making it even harder to drift off.
As the
US National Sleep Foundation suggests, “Get up and read a book, knit or crochet something for your baby, write in a journal or take a warm bath.”
In other words, try to refocus your mind, calm it, then return to bed feeling sleepier.
3. Be water wise
Drink lots of H20 during the day. Pregnant women are advised to drink about 2.3 litres (10 cups) of fluids daily. And once you’re breast-feeding, this quota raises to 3.1 litres!
However, try and consume your water fix during day as much as possible. Drinking loads of water close to bedtime means you’ll be up at night using the loo.
And, on that note, another tip: rather than turning on the overhead light in your bathroom when it’s dark, use a nightlight instead. One of these dimmer lights is less likely to startle you and leave you even wider awake.
Why am I so tired?
When you’re pregnant, your body undergoes all sorts of hormonal changes.
During your first trimester, for example, you’ll experience a boost in your metabolism and a surge in the hormone progesterone. Similarly, there’ll be an increase in the volume of blood pumping through your body. All these factors can sap your energy and leave you feeling fatigued.
Sleepiness will often subside during your second trimester, and then reappear during your third trimester. This is due to the added pressure your body is under as it continues the amazing work of growing your bub full-term.