Sleeping is the best means by which one can do relax of their own ways. During pregnancy, you may find yourself wrestling in bed trying toĀ get comfortable before falling asleep. Unfortunately, your regularĀ sleeping positions may no longer work for you during pregnancy.
Actually, you may sleep more than usual during the first trimester of your pregnancy. It’s normal to feel tired as your body works to protect and nurture the developing baby. The placenta (the organ that nourishes the fetus until birth) is just forming, your body is making more blood, and your heart is pumping faster. It’s usually later in pregnancy that most women have trouble getting enough deep, uninterrupted sleep. ThereĀ are a number of reasons for this new discomfort.
- Back pain
- Ā Increased size of the abdomen
- Heartburn
- Shortness of breath
- Insomnia
One may sleep more than usual during the first trimester of your pregnancy. It’s normal to feel tired as your body works to protect and nurture the developing baby. The placenta (the organ that nourishes the fetus until birth) is just forming, your body is making more blood, and your heart is pumping faster.
It’s usually later in pregnancy that most women have trouble getting enough deep, uninterrupted sleep.
Reasons Behind Difficult Sleeping
The first and most common reason behind sleep problems during pregnancy is the increasing size of the fetus, which can make it hard to find a comfortable sleeping position. Also, shifting around in bed becomes more difficult as the pregnancy progresses and you get bigger.
Other common physical symptoms may interfere with sleep as well:
- Frequent urge to pee:Ā This time kidneys are working harder to filter the increased volume of blood moving through your body, and this filtering process creates more urine. And, as your baby grows and the uterus gets bigger, the pressure on your bladder increases.
- Increased heart rate:Ā The heart rate increases to pump more blood, and as more blood supply goes to the uterus, your heart works harder to send sufficient blood to the rest of your body.
- Shortness of breath: The increase of pregnancy hormones will cause you to breathe in more deeply. You might feel like you’re working harder to get air.
- Leg cramps and backaches: The extra weight you’re carrying can contribute to pains in your legs or back. During pregnancy, the body also makes a hormone called relaxin, which helps prepare it for childbirth.
- heartburn and constipation: Many pregnant women have heartburn. During pregnancy, the entire digestive system slows down and food stays in the stomach and intestines longer, which may cause heartburn or constipation.
Your sleep problems might have other causes as well.Ā Stress can interfere with sleep also. Maybe you’re worried about your baby’s health, anxious about your abilities as a parent, or feeling nervous about the delivery itself. All of these feelings are normal, which mostly keep you awake at night but they might keep you awake at night.
