Ask any woman who has had kids about the hardest part of being pregnant and they will mostly tell you it was sleeping. It is hard to sleep when your body has gone through such a drastic change.
There are other issues that also interfere with your sleep when you’re pregnant besides just the physical aspect of your belly. There are hormones that are new and make it difficult to sleep. You could be dealing with indigestion frequently as well.
To help you get through this tough time when it comes to sleep, we put together this quick guide to give you some ideas on how to improve it.
Get the right mattress
If you have had your mattress for eight years at least, then it is time to replace it anyway. And even if it is a few years younger than that this is a good opportunity to evaluate if a new mattress might help your sleep.
You have different pressure points now that your body has changed so much. This means that your mattress has to offer up support to give some leeway for those points but also have enough pushback to keep the parts that shouldn’t sink in so your spine stays aligned.
A memory foam mattress with individually wrapped coils underneath will usually do the trick. There are a lot of bed in a box retailers now that ship your mattress to you. Many of them offer a trial period to give the mattress a try and if it doesn’t help they will refund you and then direct you to donate their mattress rather than try to return it. You can check out the mattress donation guide here.
This means there is no risk to buying a new mattress which can be tricky to choose when you are pregnant.
Use accessories in the bed
You may not be ready for the investment of a new mattress but you can definitely make due with what you have. There are all sorts of prgnancy pillows that you can use to help you find the right position to alleviate the pressure off of your back.
A wedge pillow can be put between your legs so you take pressure off that way. Or, it can be wedged under your belly for when you sleep on your side. If you end up with acid reflux because of your pregnancy then placing the wedge under your back will elevate your head above your feet enough to prevent it and help you sleep.
Essential oils
The right essential oils with a specific aroma will allow you fall gently asleep and stay asleep as they help to produce melatonin. Look for scents like lavender, choamilile and valerian to sooth your mind.
You can put a few drops in a warm bath before bed, or even use a diffuser in your room for use as aromatherapy. Put the diffuser on a half hour before bed and let it fill the room with the relaxing scents.