Scientists have found that more than 78% of pregnant women have poor sleep. This may be due to both physiological and psychological reasons. Drowsiness is considered one of the signs of early pregnancy, as it causes hormonal changes in the body.
The expectant mother cannot choose the optimal sleeping position for a long time, joints and back often hurt, she constantly wants to go to the toilet, she has nightmares about the upcoming birth, etc. Psychologists advise not to take such dreams to heart, because they are fully justified by the upcoming events that the woman in labor must go through.
There are several types of insomnia states:
- starting – you cannot fall asleep for hours, because thoughts about upcoming events do not leave your head;
- the inability to maintain a state of sleep is the second type and is characterized by the fact that at night you can wake up several times, and in the morning you feel tired, powerless and irritable, which is extremely dangerous for the health of your baby;
- insomnia of the final phase: you wake up in the morning, and all attempts to sleep are in vain.
Lack of sleep will not do anything good, so a woman in labor needs to learn how to cope with this global problem. Most of a person’s life takes place in a dream. Psychologists believe that for normal life, physical and psychological health, a person needs eight hours of sleep. Sleep has a cyclic structure, the phases of which are repeated every 90-120 minutes. There are two types of sleep – fast and slow. During REM sleep, the brain enters the activity phase, it is at this time that a person sees dreams. If you wake up a person during this period, then the whole day he will feel bad, as if he had not slept at all. When you wake up during pregnancy at night and cannot fall asleep again, know that in an hour and a half he will definitely return, because slow and REM sleep alternate with each other. During this time, you can listen to calm music, read some literature or do any useful thing.
During pregnancy, you need to be extremely careful in taking any medications, including for insomnia, without a doctor’s prescription. As sedatives, you can safely take extracts of chamomile, mint, valerian and motherwort. What you eat and drink also affects your sleep state. Doctors advise not to overload the stomach at night by eating heavy food, it should be food that contains proteins or carbohydrates.
Fruits, in particular melon, also have a positive effect on sleep. A fast heartbeat indicates low blood sugar. Sweet herbal tea or milk with honey can help calm the heart before bed. But in the future, it is better to show yourself to the doctor so that he can prescribe treatment.
Experts advise using radish or beetroot juice. To prepare it, you need to peel the root vegetable, make a small hole inside it and put a little honey, after a while the juice will appear, and it is taken before bedtime. There are many other popular recipes for improving sleep, they can replace any synthetic medicine. Their great advantage is the absence of side effects and the fact that they are not addictive. In no case should you drink coffee, black tea or other energy drinks, because they will definitely make your night sleepless. Sleep will become strong if you do light exercise a few hours before it, it improves blood circulation and soothes the nervous system.
The situation in the room also has a direct effect on sleep: bedding and pajamas should be made of natural fabrics. Clothing should be loose and comfortable. In the later stages of pregnancy, to avoid pressure on the inferior genital vein, do not sleep on your back. This can cause poor circulation in the vessels and cause fainting or dizziness. For comfort and better sleep, you can even use a special pregnancy pillow. The design of this pillow was specially developed to take into account all the peculiarities of rest and sleep of a pregnant woman. The pillow helps relieve stress on those back muscles that tire the most during pregnancy. After the baby is born, it can be used to feed the baby.
If the baby starts spinning, then it is better to change the sleeping position, for example, to lie on the left side, which helps well with shortness of breath. Doctors advise parents-to-be to take a walk before bed, have a relaxing massage, take a bath or shower with sea salt. The aromatherapy method also has a beneficial effect on sleep.
To sleep very soundly, you need to choose the method that you really like. Learn to fight for your sleep, because in the near future there are long sleepless nights near the baby’s bed.