If pregnancy
complaints are keeping you awake at night, here are some safe solutions for
back pain, leg cramps and more.
If you
haven’t already heard it, eventually someone is going to tell you to
sleep all you can now because you won’t be getting any rest after your baby is
born. Easier said than done, right? Telling someone to “just go to sleep” is
like telling someone to “just” pull a redwood tree out of the ground with his
or her bare hands:
A perfectly placed pillow (or pet) can help you
get the z’s you need.
It simply
can’t be done. Sleep is what restores all those important connections in the
brain that allow your mind and body to function at their best—something that’s
doubly important when there’s a baby on board. But thanks to muscle pains, pee
breaks, heartburn, hot flashes and more, pregnant women often face big sleep
challenges.
We know you
don’t want to take any medications if you can possibly avoid it. So to help,
here are some ways to make getting the rest you need a little easier.
Lie on
your left side
Sleeping on
your side relieves stress on your back, which may be aching right about now
thanks to your growing belly. But it’s also better for your developing baby
than lying flat on your back: When you do that, the weight of your uterus
compresses the blood vessels that feed the placenta. Additionally, lying on
your left side is better than lying on your right side because it allows more blood
to flow to the uterus.
Use
pillows as props
If trouble
breathing is keeping you awake, use pillows to elevate your upper body. This
will allow your uterus to drop down, away from your diaphragm, making it
easier for your lungs to inflate.
Banish
the bum
If
heartburn is a sleep stealer, elevate the head of your bed (not just your
head) by putting blocks under the legs. This will keep stomach acid from rising
up into your esophagus. (For more ways to keep heartburn at bay, see “Burning
Desires,” pg. 46.)
Mellow
out with milk
Have a
small glass of warm low- fat milk, but not after 6 p.m. (In fact, you
should limit all liquids in the evening to avoid having to get up and out of
bed and pee in the middle of the night.) The lactose in the milk is a sugar;
this stimulates the release of insulin, which in turn helps milk’s calming
proteins like tryptophan to enter your brain.
Keep
your cool
The
pregnant body runs hot, so if you want to avoid waking up in a sweat, open the
bedroom window, run a fan or ratchet up the air conditioner.
Calm
cramps and kicks
Many pregnant women sleep is
disrupted by leg cramps or restless leg syndrome, which occurs when your leg
reflexively spasms in a kicking motion. Applying a heating pad to the area can
help, as can getting 800 micrograms of folate or folic acid a day; you can get your daily dose
with a supplement or foods, such as fortified cereals and grains, spinach and
lentils.
Consider
safe meds
Quieting
pain so that you can get the sleep you need is better for your mind and body
than “toughing it out” in order to avoid taking medicine when expecting.
Tylenol is safe to take if pain is keeping you awake. Benadryl, an
antihistamine that makes many people sleepy, is also considered safe during
pregnancy. You can also ask your doctor about taking the over-the- counter
medication Unisom, which has been shown to help promote sleep during pregnancy.
Just don’t use it for more than one week.
