8 Common Sleep Busters During Pregnancy & What to Do

According to a 2014 study, a three in four women experience sleep problems at some point during pregnancy (usually at many points). With all that’s going on in your body and brain, it’s no wonder that a solid night’s sleep is so hard to get.

Here are a few of the most common sleep-busting conditions along with tips to overcome them.

1. Having to Pee, AGAIN!

When it happens: Usually in the first and third trimesters
Why it happens: Increased progesterone in your body can mean having to hop out of bed and run to the bathroom frequently, day and night. Plus, your kidneys have to filter up to 50 percent more blood than usual — which means more urine, too (basically, you’re peeing for two). In the third trimester, your growing uterus flattens your bladder, increasing your urge to go.
What you can do about it: Drink plenty of liquids throughout the day, but cut back in the two hours before bedtime. Also leave a night light on in the bathroom (or install a simple dimmer switch). Flipping on the overhead is way too much of a wake-up call and will make it harder to fall back asleep.

2. Aches, Pains and  General Discomfort

When it happens: Throughout pregnancy, but especially in the second and third trimesters
Why it happens: Some pregnancy sleep struggles come from just not being able to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Inveterate stomach sleepers find that they can’t sleep while trying to balance on a basketball. Meanwhile, back sleepers also have to search for a new path to slumber, since back sleeping isn’t advised past the first trimester: When you lie flat on your back, the weight of your growing uterus presses on your vena cava (the main vein that carries blood back to your heart from your lower body), interfering with circulation. Your baby’s growing weight and your changing hormones combine to weaken your muscles and ligaments, too.
What to do about it: Sleeping on your side — your left side, if possible — makes things easier on your circulatory system and is safest for your baby, though if you’re not used to the position, it can also make things harder when it comes to falling asleep. Pillows are your pals right now: between your knees, under your abdomen, behind your back (whatever works!).

3. Leg Cramps

When it happens: Usually in the second half of pregnancy
Why it happens: No one’s quite sure what leads to these painful spasms in the calves, but it might be compression of blood vessels in the legs and fatigue as you carry that extra pregnancy weight. Although you’ll sometimes experience leg cramps during the day, they’re typically more common — or at least more noticeable — at night.
What you can do about it: One theory attributes leg cramps to low calcium and magnesium levels, so upping your intake of those minerals via your diet may help (just be sure to talk to your doctor before taking any supplements). Drink plenty of water, stretch your legs during the day and wear support hose. When you get a cramp, try straightening your leg, then gently pointing and flexing your foot. Or, try standing on a cold surface. If these don’t at least temporarily work, it’s important to check with your doctor (although it’s rare, it’s possible that your cramp may actually be a blood clot).

4. Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)

When it happens: Usually in the third trimester
Why it happens: While experts aren’t exactly sure what causes RLS, an estimated 15 percent of pregnant women suffer from this odd condition in the third trimester. If you have RLS, you feel an uncomfortable, sleep-sapping sensation of crawling or tingling in your legs, along with an urge to move them.
What you can do about it: Since RLS has been linked to iron and folate deficiency, if you suffer from it your doctor may test you and, if your levels are low, recommend supplements and/or getting plenty of these nutrients in your food. Daily exercise can also help. Avoiding caffeine is a good idea for sleep hygiene anyway, but it may be especially helpful if you have RLS.

5. Heartburn

When it happens: Anytime
Why it happens: You can thank pregnancy hormones for this painful sensation in your esophagus, which relax the muscle that normally keeps stomach acid where it belongs: inside the stomach. While you can experience heartburn at any time of day, it’s often worse at night when you’re lying down.
What you can do about it: Heartburn-soothing strategies can help, and so can over-the-counter meds, but you need your doctor’s go-ahead. Read more about heartburn relief tips here.

6. Nasal Congestion

When it happens: Anytime
Why it happens: Higher estrogen levels increase blood volume everywhere — including to the membranes in your nose, causing them to swell and leading to a perpetually stuffy nose.
What you can do about it: Sleeping with your head elevated can help, and saline nasal sprays and nose strips are safe to try too. If these don’t work, check with your doctor about other options.

7. Snoring and Sleep Apnea

When it happens: Anytime
Why it happens: You can blame that perpetually stuffy nose (caused by surging hormone levels) for inability to sleep; gaining too much weight can make the problem worse. And snoring is more than just annoying to you and your partner. Sometimes it indicates sleep apnea, meaning your airway collapses for a moment and your breathing stops briefly. Since apnea can be linked to high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, be sure to discuss snoring with your doctor and ask if you should be evaluated for apnea.
What you can do about it: Try these strategies for snoring. If you have apnea, treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (a CPAP machine) is safe during pregnancy, as are saline nose sprays and decongestants. Just be sure to talk to your doctor first.

8. Insomina

When it happens: Anytime
Why it happens: Anxiety, hormones and any of the above sleep problems can contribute to insomnia during pregnancy (meaning the inability to fall or stay asleep). It’s super common and super frustrating — and, if left untreated, could even lead to postpartum depression.
What to do about it: Practice good sleep hygiene. You should also mention any sleep problems to your doctor, who might be able to suggest more solutions or even medications that are safe during pregnancy. Meanwhile, these tips should help:

• Avoid caffeine in all its forms (so put that chocolate bar down) after noon.
• Stay away from sugar at night, which will give you an energy boost when you least want one and leave your blood sugar levels wobbly.
• Get your eight glasses of water (or other fluids) every day, but taper off at night. Drink if you’re thirsty, but don’t down a 16-ounce water bottle right before bedtime.
• Work out daily, but only until the early evening (if it comes too close to bedtime it could actually sabotage sleep, since exercise is energizing).
• Have a light snack before hitting the hay to stave off midnight hunger pangs. Include protein and a complex carb. Also try some warm milk (it really works! just skip the chocolate, since it contains caffeine) or decaffeinated tea.
• Take a warm bath just before bed. The soothing and relaxing effects should help you summon the sandman sooner.
• Fresh air can induce sleep. If the weather’s not cooperative, keep the room comfortably (for you, not your partner) chilled.
• Make love, if you’re in the mood, or at least ask your mate for a massage. Both can relax you.
• Try some relaxation exercises — visualization, deep breathing, meditation, yoga.

Source: whattoexpect