Getting enough sleep is one of the most important aspects of a person’s health, but for many women, sleep during pregnancy can be anything but a dream.
It is very common for pregnant women to experience sleep disturbances, with one study showing up to 76% experiencing poor sleep quality. It’s an unfortunate reality that can be very frustrating and tiring, to say the least. From frequent night wakings to restlessness and insomnia, to restless leg syndrome and heartburn disturbances, the list of what leads to sleep issues in pregnancy is quite long.
Aside from the sleep challenges during pregnancy, this is also the time when many common sleep aids are no longer safe to take. Navigating the various recommendations online and knowing who to trust and what is safe and effective can be confusing. What’s a mom-to-be to do?
As a hormone, fertility and naturopathic women’s health doctor, the founder of Womanhood Wellness™, co-host of the podcast Healthy As A Motherand a mom myself, I’m sharing some pregnancy-safe sleep tips and practices to help you get the rest you need—and may crave.
Related: 12 best pregnancy pillows to help you find maximum comfort
The issue: Trouble sleeping
The fix: Stop screen time 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime
Low melatonin is a common cause of sleep issues.
Along with cortisol, melatonin is one of the key players in our circadian rhythm, the daily hormonal rhythm that governs our sleep-wake cycle. We naturally produce melatonin before bed and at night in response to darkness. With regard to pregnancy, some animal and early human studies show that melatonin may play a role in the development of the fetal circadian rhythm and other key stages of development, and may potentially reducing the risk of preeclampsia.
Device screens emit a type of blue light that blocks melatonin. Staying up watching shows or scrolling at night not only increases our stress hormone cortisol which can reduce melatonin, the light emitted from those screens can reduce this important sleep hormone.
Since we don’t have strong safety evidence for taking melatonin as a pregnancy supplement, the best thing we can do is support our natural production of it.
Tips to boost melatonin production in pregnancy
- Remove the TVs from your bedroom
- Avoid taking your phone into the bedroom, or at least plug it away from the bed
- Avoid watching or looking at screens 30-60 minutes before bed
- Consider sleeping with an eye mask or blackout curtains
Related: 6 super effective sleeping masks that wrap you in a cocoon of darkness
The issue: Waking up in the middle of the night
The fix: Keep your blood sugar balanced
Low blood sugar is a common reason for waking up in the middle of the night.
Your blood sugar is the amount of glucose you have in your bloodstream at any given time. Glucose comes from the foods you eat and the stores you have in your body from previous meals. Your brain, and many other organs, need a steady amount of this blood sugar to function properly. If your brain suspects low blood sugar, it will try to alert you to remedy the situation. Low blood sugar often leads to symptoms such as fatigue, tremors, nausea, cravings, irritability, hunger… and sleep issues.
If your blood sugar drops during the night, your brain will wake you up, trying to get you to refuel. This can happen even when you don’t feel hungry, and is a classic contributor to 2 am to 4 am wake ups.
Tips to keep blood sugar balanced during pregnancy
- Eat enough protein at every meal
- Eat consistently, avoid going more than 4 waking hours without eating
- Reduce foods high in sugar
- Consider a higher protein and healthy fat snack an hour before bedtime to keep your blood sugar stable throughout the night (as long as it doesn’t aggravate heartburn)
- Ideas:
- Some apple slices with nut butter
- Some leftover baked chicken
- A few bites of leftover dinner
- A boiled egg
- Nuts and seeds
- Ideas:
The issue: Restlessness, tossing and turning, leg cramping
The fix: Consider supplementing with magnesium
Low magnesium is a common contributor to sleep issues paired with stress, anxiety or restlessness in the mind or muscles, including leg cramps.
Magnesium is a very important mineral needed at every stage of life, but it is especially important during pregnancy. It is necessary for almost every cell in your body to function, and we are learning more and more how deficient we are as a population. Many women in particular get less than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA), perhaps in part to the over-processing of food in today’s world.
Magnesium is not only safe in pregnancy, but some studies show that magnesium can improve pregnancy outcomes including supporting intrauterine growth restriction, preterm labor, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus. , and leg cramps.
On top of all that, magnesium has been shown to be very helpful for sleep.,
Outside of the role magnesium can play in reducing anxiety to support sleep, magnesium helps calm the nervous system and supports muscle relaxation, two key processes necessary for sleep. Additionally, there may be a connection between magnesium deficiency, leg cramps, and restless leg syndrome. It is estimated that 30% of pregnant women experience leg cramps and 26% experience restless leg syndrome. Since magnesium is a potential player in supporting many of these conditions, I believe it is worth recommending for those who suffer from these types of sleep disturbances.
Related: Tired, sore feet? These comfortable compression socks can help
Tips to increase magnesium in pregnancy
- Increase magnesium-rich foods such as
- Black beans
- Flaxseeds
- kangko
- cashew
- Wheat bran
- Sunflower seeds
- Consider supplementing with magnesium
- The optimal dose is 300 mg to 400 mg.
- In general, the preferred forms of magnesium to support sleep are: magnesium glycinate, magnesium gluconate, magnesium threonate, magnesium malate, and magnesium citrate. You can take them individually or as a mixture of different forms.
Magnesium supplements are safe for pregnancy
More ways to support sleep in pregnancy
- Write all your thoughts in a journal before you go to bed so you don’t have to “hold” them in your mind at night. If you’re someone who likes lists, you can end up with a to-do list for the next day so that your thoughts are settled and calm before bed.
- Consider listening to a guided meditation. I recommend checking out the apps Vision Timer o expected
- Move your body during the day to support a healthy night’s sleep. I recommend walking outside so you can receive the benefits from UV rays from the sun as well as the positive effects of being in nature.
- Get the right pillows to support your neck and back if pain prevents sleep. I recommend a pillow designed for slide sleeping with neck support.
- It’s best to sleep on your side during pregnancy, so I also recommend getting a body pillow to hug and place between your legs for optimal spinal alignment.
- Keep the room cool and dark. Pregnancy can raise your body temperature, so make sure you don’t overheat and consider an eye mask or blackout curtains to keep out any melatonin- and sleep-blocking light.
- Avoid any caffeine, including coffee, green tea, matcha or large amounts of chocolate, after 1 pm.
While there are many underlying causes of sleep issues and it’s always best to investigate your unique cause with your doctor, these sleep practices and sleep aids are safe, effective and helpful for your pregnancy journey and beyond. yet.
