How Can You Sleep Better When You Are Pregnant?

Many pregnant women will struggle to get a good night's sleep during pregnancy, but even if you are not pregnant, you still need to get a good night's sleep. Sleep is a time for your body and organs to reset and renew, your body needs it to perform its essential functions and it also helps your mood!

As you probably know, your blood flow increases significantly during pregnancy and getting enough sleep helps the blood to flow properly to your baby. Your pregnant body also needs rest to fight off any infections and to build up your immune system. Getting the right amount of sleep also helps to regulate your blood sugar levels. Because of this, the quality of your sleep can play an important role in the results of your glucose screening test, which screens for gestational diabetes by checking for high sugar levels in your blood. Now that you know why you need to sleep well during pregnancy, how should you sleep better?

1. Use a maternity pillow

To help you sleep better at night, consider using a maternity pillow. This type of pillow will support your tummy and may even help relieve some back pain. You can sleep best by lying on your left side, with the pillow wedged between your legs and supported under your belly.

2. Reduce the amount of time you spend looking at screens at night

Whether pregnant or not, staring at a screen before bedtime can affect the quality and quantity of sleep. To get the best possible sleep during your pregnancy, stop using any form of technology about an hour before you want to fall asleep.

3. Drink lots of water

Make sure you get the amount of water you need to drink that day! It is even more important that you drink plenty of water when you are pregnant, not only for your own sake but also for your baby's. If you don't get enough water, you may wake up dehydrated and with different aches and pains. Having said that, you may want to consider not drinking anything two hours before you go to bed so you don't have to make several unnecessary trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

4. Exercise during the day

Exercise is always important, especially when you are pregnant. It will keep your body in good shape and help you prepare for labor. In addition, it provides you with much-needed energy to fight pregnancy fatigue. Keep your body moving throughout the day so that when bedtime comes, you can sleep peacefully. Of course, be sure to consult your obstetrician and gynecologist before starting any exercise routine.

5. Relaxing activities before bedtime

Pregnancy can cause a lot of anxiety for the mother-to-be. It is important to find something that will help your brain to switch off and relax, such as reading a book or listening to relaxing music. Reading before bedtime for pregnant women

6. Set your sleep schedule

Just as you set your alarm to wake up at the same time each day, schedule the time you want to go to sleep each night. If you take naps during the day, remember not to nap too late as this may disrupt your nighttime sleep!