Sleep is crucial for our health, but it can feel elusive during pregnancy with pregnancy insomnia, having trouble finding a comfortable position, and then feeling anxious that you’re not getting enough sleep. Many of us will need to wake up at least once during the night to pee, as we have increased fluid volume (and our need to pee increases) throughout pregnancy. So, this wake up can then make it harder to fall back asleep.
Or maybe you’re feeling anxious about preparing for your birth and baby, and that is keeping you up at night too!
In this blog, I’m going to share what I have been doing to help me get a better night of sleep in my fourth pregnancy!
Pregnancy Insomnia: Getting Tired From Pregnancy!
Pregnancy insomnia is common throughout pregnancy, and can start in the second trimester! Up to 78% of us will have trouble sleeping throughout our pregnancy. For me, I started having more issues with sleep in the early second trimester–and part of my sleep issues related to prenatal anxiety that I was having more so at night.
There are a lot of things we can incorporate into our daytime routine to support our sleep at night! These things can include yoga and meditation, taking supplements to aid with sleep, and movement throughout the day. Working with a pelvic floor physical therapist can also be beneficial if you are waking up more than once a night to pee too.
In my pregnancy, the top things I have been doing to help me get a better night of sleep include:
- Physiologic Sigh: Breathing exercise to relax and lower my heart rate
- Half Salamander: Vagal Nerve Reset exercise to calm my nervous system and help me shift into my parasympathetic nervous system
- Daily exercise with the MamasteFit Prenatal Fitness Programs
- Taking magnesium supplements to help with relaxation and sleep + hydrating throughout the day so I don’t have any cramps in the middle of the night. My current favorite is Needed Sleep Support. Use code MAMASTEFIT for 20% off your first order.
- Lots of pregnancy pillow support for a comfortable sleeping position!
Here is an excerpt from our book, Training for Two, with tips on how to get a comfortable night of sleep and overcome pregnancy insomnia! A big portion of our book is to help you stay comfortable throughout your entire pregnancy–because pain is NOT a requirement of pregnancy–so we address things like tailbone pain, pelvic girdle pain, and more in our book!
From Training for Two:
“Sleep can feel elusive in the third trimester due to pregnancy insomnia, needing to pee more often, or discomfort. Sleep is crucial for your health, but up to 78 percent of pregnant women complain of sleep issues during the third trimester. Poor sleep quality may be associated with an increased risk of prenatal and postpartum depression, as well as adverse pregnancy outcomes.
If you are experiencing pregnancy insomnia, cognitive behavioral therapy with a perinatal mental health specialist may be helpful. Other options, such as prenatal yoga, prenatal massage, and meditation, can also support your sleep throughout pregnancy.
If you’re waking up more than twice a night to pee, it could indicate a pelvic floor issue. Working with a pelvic floor physical therapist may be helpful. Pelvic floor physical therapy can also help if you have hip pain or pain shifting your position in bed.
If you are experiencing hip pain, pain while rolling or shifting your position in bed, or even reflux and heartburn, you can first focus on your sleeping position. An easy way to do this is to place a pillow between your knees and ankles to keep the hips in a more neutral position.”
Watch this YouTube video for a breathing exercise and vagal nerve reset exercises I have been doing to help me fall back asleep at night!
1) Physiologic Sigh: Relaxation Breathing and Calm Your Heart Rate
The first thing I do if I wake up and then have trouble falling asleep, or if I am feeling too anxiety to sleep before bed, I will do the physiologic sigh.
In the physiologic sigh, I can do this in a seated or reclined position, so the position doesn’t matter as much as the actual breathing exercise.
Start with a long inhale for about 4-6 seconds. Pause. Then inhale again for 1-3 seconds. Then slowly exhale for 4-6 seconds.
When you take a long inhale, then pause, your lungs air sacs begin to deflate. Then when you take that second inhale, it increases the amount of oxygen you take in, and the amount of carbon dioxide you release.
Then the slow exhale triggers your heart rate to slow down.
I repeat this sequence for about 3-6 breaths, or until I feel more relaxed and ready for sleep.
2) Half Salamander: Vagal Nerve Reset to Activate the Parasympathetic Nervous System
Next, I will do a vagal nerve reset exercise, either the half or full salamander. The vagal nerve helps with our relaxation, so resetting it can help us shift into our parasympathetic state for rest.
In this exercise, you start seated and look to the side in one direction without moving your head. Then maintain this gaze as you tilt your ear to your shoulder. Hold here for 3-6 breaths, then switch sides.
I find the half salamander is more accessible when I am in bed, but if I am feeling anxious I will get up and do the full salamander which is on all fours.
See the YouTube video in the earlier part of this blog for an exercise breakdown!
3) Sleepy Time Mocktails for Better Sleep
My sleep preparation also has been helping me get a better night of sleep! Before bed, I drink a sleepy mocktail that includes Tart Cherry Juice and Needed Sleep and Relaxation Mix (use code MAMASTEFIT for 20% off your first order). Throughout the day, I also drink LMNT hydration salts with magnesium to prevent leg cramps.
I will also take a nightly bath with Epsom salt to help with relaxation and prevent cramps in the middle of the night.
And then sometimes before bed, I’ll rub magnesium lotion on my legs from 8 Sheep Organics to prevent leg cramps that wake me up.
All of this just helps me fall asleep more easily and stay asleep! You don’t need to do everything that I do–some nights I only take a bath!
For my sleepy mocktail, the recipe includes:
- Cherry Tart Juice: this helps to release more melatonin to help you get better sleep.
- Bubbly Mixer (optional): I like to add ginger beer to counter the tartness of the cherry juice, but it does add more sugar to the drink. So, you could do a seltzer water. I’ve seen some folks add a probiotic seltzer, like Poppi.
- Needed Sleep Support Packet for magnesium, but you can add in another magnesium powder of your choice. The magnesium that we want for relaxation is magnesium glycinate.
- Needed’s Sleep Support also includes a few other ingredients that help with sleep such as L-Theanine powder, L-Glycine powder, and chamomile powder.
- Squeeze of an orange for flavor (optional)
The main ingredient of the Cherry Tart Juice helps with melatonin release to help you sleep, and then the Needed Sleep Support (or your choice of magnesium glycinate supplement) helps with sleep too!
I drink this about an hour or so before bed, and usually feel pretty sleepy when it’s bedtime for me!
4) Comfortable Sleeping Positions
Now that I am over halfway through my pregnancy, I am using more support with my sleeping positions, such as a pregnancy pillow. My current favorite is the Pharmadoc pregnancy pillow.
I place the pillow up against two pillows, so I am also slightly reclined if I do want to roll onto my back. And then I just snuggle up in the middle of the pillow, supporting both my ankle and knee on the pillow. This has helped me sleep more comfortably and alleviates pelvic pain!
Watch our YouTube video for more ways to find a comfortable position AND ways to change positions if you do have pelvic pain.
Getting a good night’s sleep can feel impossible during pregnancy! I was dealing with anxiety and then trouble staying and falling back asleep in my second trimester, but with these tips, I have been able to sleep more soundly and wake up more rested! Hope these tips help you too!
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