By the end of my pregnancy trying to sleep was a nightmare. Not only was I being kicked in the side by a baby ninja human, but the pressure from my uterus made me need to pee every 5 seconds. And then there was other annoyances that gave me insomnia like back pain, hip pain and heartburn that erupted like a volcano during my pregnancies. I think that the lack of sleep before birthday of our babies is our bodies preparing us for the laughable amount of sleep we will be getting the entire rest of our parental lives. The good news is that there are some tips and tricks if you are pregnant and can’t sleep for getting a better nights sleep that I found to work and I wanted to share them with you. I can’t promise you complete relief and a full night of rest, but maybe these helpful ideas will help you sleep better during pregnancy.
Pregnancy and Sleeping Tips
Pregnancy Pillow
Having a pregnancy pillow is an absolute must have for getting a better sleep while pregnant. During pregnancy I had the worst pelvic pain, back pain, and hip pain and it made falling asleep incredibly difficult. My first pregnancy I stacked around 200 pillows around my body because I was too cheap to buy a really good pregnancy pillow. By my second pregnancy I invested into a C shaped pregnancy pillow and it was amazing. In my fist trimester I used the pillow for pressure on my stomach and it helped with my nausea. By my third trimester, using the wrap around pillow wasn’t an option as my belly was gigantic and my entire body hurt like a mother. It truly helped me sleep so much better because it snuggled around my body and gave me tremendous relief from all of my body aches and pains. (link for this paragraph:
Magnesium
If only I had known about the benefits of magnesium for sleep during my first two pregnancies. Magnesium is one of the best natural remedies for getting sleep and it’s safe to use while pregnant. It’s a mineral that helps relax muscles and relieve tension and stress from our bodies/ In addition to getting better sleep while pregnant, it also helps with leg cramps and keeps our blood running smoothly by clotting normally. My favorite Magnesium supplement for insomnia while prego is Natures Calm. It tastes good and knocked me out quickly. Make sure to take it about one hour prior to going to sleep because dang, it really works.
Essential Oils
Lavender is was an all time favorite for getting better sleep during pregnancy. It has a calming effect on our senses which allows our bodies to relax. If you struggle with anxiety like I do, using Lavender essential oils in a diffuser during pregnancy is soothing. I use just a few drops of my lavender essential oil in my diffuser thats next to my bed. I am obsessed with lavender for sleep so I also add 1-2 drop onto my pillow and add it into a rollerball for easy application on my wrists, neck, and feet. I’ve also made a DIY Body butter that super simple to whip up and apply right before heading to bed for added relaxation.
If you struggle with sleeping while pregnant you should check out the highly rated essential oil diffuser and Lavender oil on Amazon. You can also purchase your roller ball and DIY Body butter ingredients there too at a great price.
Warm Calming Tea for Better Pregnancy Sleep
Camomile tea is one of the best night time teas for sleep during pregnancy because it calms anxiety and relaxes our minds. I just made one cup on nights I was having a rough time sleeping. I would even mix this tea with Natures Calm magnesium and it tasted pretty good. Camomile is completely safe to drink during pregnancy but I made sure to have only one cup just incase it had the opposite effect on me because apparently that can happen. I don’t know about you, but having the opposite effect of camomile while struggling with insomnia during pregnancy would have been a nightmare.
Exercise
I’m just going to throw exercise out there for those of us who like to workout. I say “us” but I’m not referring to myself. I hated to work out during pregnancy but apparently it really helps with getting a better nights sleep. Personally the thought of lugging me and my gigantic belly to the gym made my mind tired enough.
With that said, getting some type of physical exercise like a small walk might be really helpful to ease pregnancy insomnia.
I’m expecting twins, and have been struggling with sleep (due to discomfort) for a few months now. One of the best pieces of advice I received was to go swimming. I often just do frog kicks with a kick board, and the motion opens up my hips, provides relief to stretching tendons, helps my little ones move to a more comfortable spot and has helped me sleep WAY better! If you have access to a pool, try it out!
Oh that’s a great idea! Yes, I am sure the weightless feeling of the water helps. Thanks for sharing.