Becoming a mother is one of the life-changing phases of a woman’s life. Bringing a baby in this world is like creating the most beautiful work of arts. And the complications and difficulties related to pregnancy might make you all anxious and stressed, which might keep you awake at night, which is neither good for you or for your child’s health.
So what could you do?
The answer is quite simple. You need to know ‘how to sleep better at night during pregnancy’ and will help you gain the strength that you might need to tackle all other complications and difficulties.
So we are here with a few tips on how to sleep better at night during pregnancy.
This will include:
- Get some sunlight
- Exercise Sleep in a dark, dark room
- No caffeine after lunch
- Eat lightly before going to bed
- Choose the right mattress
- Use lots of pillows
- Warm shower
- Clear your head before going to bed
Plus you will get a bonus tip at the end of this article.
Get some sunlight
This might sound as not a big deal but the reality is that getting your share of sunlight is very important. Why? Well, sunlight stimulates the secretion of melatonin, which signals our body to sleep, which helps us to have a good sleep at night.
So we suggest you spend at least 20 to 30 minutes under the sun to sleep better at night. You can read a book or go on a small walk in the morning.
Exercise
While we are on the topic of taking a small morning walk, we want to emphasize that being active during the daytime will definitely help you to have a better sleeping experience during your pregnancy. Spending 3 hours on exercising (yoga, meditate, safe pregnancy workout, etc) in a day will let you sleep better at night.
It is to be kept in mind that you don’t have to exercise straight for 3 hours. You can exercise for half an hour then take a break for 2 hours.
Sleep in a dark room
By repeating dark, I want to emphasize the importance of sleeping in a room where not even a digital clock and any electronic equipment that glows is present. Even keeping a nightstand might restrain you to fall in deep sleep that you need. Why? We talked about the secretion of melatonin so that’s why you should keep your room dark if you want a good sleep at night.
No caffeine after lunch
Consuming caffeine can have a negative impact on your sleep pattern and as a result, you might wake up in the middle of the night, which I am sure you don’t want. We suggest you cut off completely caffeine from your diet. But we understand that pregnancy craving is not something that you can control. So, the deal is you can consume caffeine, but not after lunch. And trust us this is the best bargain you can get if you want to sleep peacefully at night.
Eat lightly before going to bed
Talking about pregnancy craving leads us to our next trip. You might feel a sudden urge to eat when you are just going to sleep. But you should about eating heavy food items if you have to go to bed within an hour or a half. This is because your body needs time to digest and if you go directly after taking a heavy meal than you might not be able to sleep properly.
And as for your late-night craving, you should go for something light and healthy such as a glass of fruit juice or a handful of dry fruits.
Choose the right mattress
Choosing the right mattress to sleep on is similar to buying clothes of the right size; if small you won’t be able to wear them and if large they may look you have borrowed them. Similarly, if a mattress is hard then you will feel pressure points at your hips and at your shoulders, whereas if it is too soft then you will not get enough support for your neck and your back.
Thus, choosing the right mattress is a very essential step in getting good sleep.
Use lots of pillows
Getting into a comfortable position to sleep while you are pregnant can be tricky, but you can always experiment with lots of pillows to get into a comfortable position to sleep.
If you are sleeping on your back you can put pillows under your legs to eleven them. And if you are sleeping on your side keep a pillow between your legs so as to keep pressure from your hips.
Warm shower
During pregnancy, you feel cramps and stiffness in your body, which is nowhere near to being comfortable. That is why we suggest you take a relaxing shower before you to bed. A warm shower helps you relax your body and loosen the stiffness in your neck and your shoulders as well.
A warm shower also helps improve your circulation that in turn helps you sleep better at night.
Clear your head before going to bed
Becoming a mother can be quite scary but you really need to sleep to keep you as well as your child’s health. If you are worried about something, you should talk to a friend or to a family member so you can clear your head before going to bed.
Here is what you can do, if you feel that something is keeping you awake at night, you just go grab a pen and a piece of paper and just write it down. And trust me, this tip is really helpful to have a better, sleep at night when your mind is clouded or filled with worries.
Bonus
Here is the bonus, we have promised. While in this article we have discussed various helpful tips on ‘how to sleep better at night during pregnancy’, this last tip is quite necessary.
There is no bedtime
Sleep whenever you feel like. During pregnancy, one’s body goes through a lot of changes and it also includes in the change of the amount of time you need.
If you feel like going to bed at 8 or 7 in the evening then it is just fine. You don’t have to worry about it.
I hope you will find this helpful. Let us know your opinion in the comments.
