Pregnancy and Sleep: Tips for Restful Nights

Sleeping during pregnancy

As an expectant mother, you can hardly wait to finally hold your sweet baby in your arms. But until then, your body has to work hard to produce a new human being. That's why sleep is so important, especially during pregnancy. A good night's sleep gives your body some well-deserved rest and recuperation. Now it can concentrate on regenerating itself and keeping you and your baby in the best of health. 

Nevertheless, you probably already noticed that your sleep has changed during pregnancy. The more advanced your pregnancy is and the prouder your baby bump grows, the more difficult it can be to find a comfortable sleeping position at night. For stomach sleepers in particular, it is a huge change to suddenly no longer be able to sleep in their favorite position. Many pregnant women also struggle with interrupted sleep and wake up more often during the night. Be it because the baby moves a lot during a growth phase, presses on the bladder, or due to anxiety about the upcoming birth. Is there anything you can do to make your sleep experience more restful and enjoy a better quality of sleep? 

The first trimester: Getting used to a new sleeping position 

To prevent your growing baby bump from forcing you to give up your cherished sleeping habits overnight, you can plan ahead. Use the first trimester to slowly get used to a new sleeping position. As a stomach sleeper, you will have to give up your favorite position in the last few months of pregnancy. Not only does sleeping on your stomach become very uncomfortable during pregnancy, but the extra weight can also make it difficult for your baby to get blood and nutrients. Gynecologists therefore recommend that you no longer sleep on your stomach once you reach the 12th week of pregnancy.  

Is lying on your back recommended during pregnancy?

The supine position, i.e. lying on your back, is a popular sleeping position that receives a lot of praise from sleep doctors. Our spine is in its natural alignment when we sleep on our back and our intervertebral discs can recover. In the first and second trimester of your pregnancy, you can sleep on your back without any problems. However, some pregnant women find that sleeping on their back can increase their nausea. When your belly starts to grow more from the 20th week of pregnancy, its weight presses on important blood vessels. This can lead to circulatory problems such as dizziness, headaches, shortness of breath, and nausea. Expectant mothers should therefore switch to the lateral position (sleeping on their side) in the last trimester.  

Is lying on your side the best sleeping position for expectant mothers?

As the baby bump grows, it eventually becomes more comfortable to turn onto your side in bed than to sleep on your stomach or back. Many pregnant women therefore intuitively adopt the side sleeping position as they feel that this is particularly good for them and their baby. Even if you have fallen asleep lying on your stomach or back, you may suddenly wake up lying on your side during pregnancy. Your body senses when it has been lying in an uncomfortable position for too long and automatically compensates for this so that your sleep remains comfortable. So which side should you put more weight on when lying down - the right or the left? 

Expectant mothers who sleep on their right side can experience problems with heartburn and indigestion, as the stomach and intestines are under greater strain. The left side, on the other hand, is the ideal sleeping position for pregnant women. This is because this sleeping position reduces the pressure caused by the baby's weight on the inferior vena cava, which carries blood from the legs back to the heart. This allows the placental tissue to be better supplied with blood, which in turn results in a better supply of oxygen and important nutrients for your baby. 

Tips for optimal rest during pregnancy

Are you already making sure to lie on your left side when sleeping during pregnancy and are still not getting the sleep you crave? Our tips will help you to get optimal rest at night. 

• Sleep rituals to relax 

Your body is in an exceptional state during pregnancy. It's completely normal that you need more rest and relaxation. Calming sleep rituals such as meditation, yoga, or PMR can help you to let go and fall asleep better. 

• Reduce stress 

During pregnancy, women find themselves in a real emotional chaos, and not just because of the changes in hormone levels. As the last trimester approaches, worries and fears about the birth can become a sleep killer. To prevent your fears from keeping you awake at night, it helps to confide in your partner. A clarifying conversation with your gynecologist can also help you to feel well informed and reduce your fears. Keeping a diary before going to bed is another trick to effectively reduce stress. You can simply confide your worrying thoughts to your diary so that you can sleep more easily at night. 

• Get the right support 

You need the right support to ensure restful sleep lying on your side. A high-quality mattress and a suitable pillow make it easier for you to adopt a healthy sleeping position at night. A side sleeper pillow such as the SF GELTEX^® is ideal to provide reliable support for your growing baby bump. You can simply place it sideways under your tummy or between your legs. And when you finally hold your baby in your arms later, you can use the supportive pillow for breastfeeding or bottle feeding.