Part II: Supporting Sleep in Pregnancy
In Part I: Sleep Disruptions in Pregnancy, I outlined and explained how and why sleep gets disturbed in each trimester and identified the most common sleep disorders for which women are more at risk to develop during this time.
But what can you do to maximize your chance of sleeping well during pregnancy and the postpartum period and minimize your chance of developing a more long-standing sleep disorder?
When I work with clients, I like to stabilize the foundation of a good sleep, which includes:
Getting the right light at the right time:
Getting bright light first thing in the morning and throughout the day and limiting bright light (especially blue light) in the hour before bed can help regulate your circadian rhythm (ie your body’s internal clock) and send important signals to your body when to sleep and when to wake. Ideally, you want to expose yourself to as much natural, outdoor light as possible during the daytime and remove your sunglasses when outside.
Keeping a consistent sleep & wake schedule:
Waking up and going to bed at the same time each day (7 days a week) helps regulate your sleep wake cycle. Anchoring your wake time first will have the most significant impact as this will help your body come to anticipate sleep at around the same time each night.
Winding down:
Setting boundaries and limits between busy days to day activities and sleep, which includes implementing a consistent wind down routine that integrates a relaxation component is key. Just like your baby, your body and mind need repetitive, calming cues to let you know that you can relax and prepare for sleep.
Get the right light at the right time:
First thing in the morning or closely after you wake up (within 2 hours), try and get 15-30 minutes of natural sunlight. Ideally, that would be outdoors with no sunglasses as sunglasses will block some of that important light spectrum that you need. But even being in front of a bright window or turning on bright lights in the home will help. Getting another boost of sunlight around midday (or really anytime you can steal time outdoors in the daytime) will help keep you energized and boost your mood. Exposure to sunshine will also help your body absorb nutrients. In the evening however, limit your exposure to artificial light in your home environment. Put your lights on dimmers or use lamps if possible when the sun goes down and aim to restrict the use of screens or other devices emitting blue light approximately 30-60 minutes before bed. If you’re not able to do this, a happy medium is to use blue-light blocking glasses or set your devices to night shift mode.
For pregnancy in particular, there are a few other practices that have also been known to be helpful to alleviate sleep issues:
Keeping comfortable:
Consider using pillows, by placing one between the knees (can be a regular or wedge pillow), under the belly, and/or one behind the back to support and relieve any pain or pressure. To alleviate heartburn, try to avoid lying down immediately after eating. Sleeping on the left side with knees bent may help or try sleeping with the head of your bed elevated with more pillows to ease the acid backwash of heartburn. You may want to consider wearing tank tops with built in bras to support tender breasts.
Keeping cool:
Adjust your room temperature between 17-21 degrees. Sleeping in natural fibers that can wick away sweat and help regulate your temperature can be helpful. Natural cottons and bamboo make great PJs and in terms of your bedding, try out materials like pima or supima cotton, percale, Egyptian cotton, bamboo and linen, silk or jersey.
Keeping hydrated:
Ensure that you stay well-hydrated during the day, drinking between 2- 4 litres of water. Dehydration can lead to nocturnal leg cramps and can cause your mouth and nasal passages to become dry, contributing to sleep destructive snoring and a parched throat in the morning. Furthermore, a lack of fluids can compromise your alertness, energy, and cognitive performance during the day. If you’re thirsty or hot at night, consider sucking on an ice cube - this helps keep you cool while limiting your fluid intake, preventing the risk of additional sleep disruptions as a result of having to go to the bathroom.
Keeping decongested:
Women who have stuffy noses can use nasal strips or a sinus rinse to help open up their nasal passages and improve their night time breathing. Sleeping on your side may also reduce incidences of snoring and/or sleep apnea events.
Keeping calm:
Managing stress levels is key during the pre and post natal period. Sleep and stress have a reciprocal relationship: Quality sleep helps to balance stress hormones but stress can interrupt sleep, as cortisol levels that normally drop in the evening hours stay high. As a result, reducing stress and integrating relaxation into your daily routine are the perfect complement to a healthy sleep, overall health, and the health of your baby. Make time to process your thoughts and feelings and engage in regular stress-reduction practices. Journaling, mindbody techniques such as guided imagery, breathwork and yoga have found to be useful in addressing some of the anxieties that surround sleep. Deep diaphragmatic breathing has been proven to counteract the fight or flight response and activate the rest and digest state, which is necessary to enter a deep sleep. Try box breathing or the 4-7-8 technique.
Ruling out medical conditions:
It’s always worth a visit to your primary healthcare provider or a sleep specialist if you are experiencing poor sleep consistently. Sleep disturbances may be caused by vitamin or mineral deficiencies (common culprits are magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, B vitamins, vitamin D). And sleep disorders like Restless Leg Syndrome may be linked to low iron or folate. If you’re showing symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing, it’s important to get a referral for a sleep study to rule out sleep apnea and if you’re starting to experience anxiety or depression as a result of your poor sleep, it’s important to get screened for insomnia or a mood disorder early on.
How a sleep coach can help
Sleep is a natural function of the human body and the majority of us are fundamentally designed to sleep well. But pregnancy is a significant time of major hormonal, physical and psychological change and its associated symptoms can have a knock on effect on sleep. We know that this particular period in women’s lives can bring about a lot of change so it’s important to view sleep issues from a top down, holistic perspective.
To effectively treat sleep issues in the long term, it’s imperative to identify and address the underlying factors that are causing them (and there may be many - when I work with clients I examine disparities in what I refer to as the 5 Pillars of Healthy Sleep: schedules, environment, headspace, movement and nutrition). A sleep coach can help you pinpoint the imbalances that are impacting the quality of your sleep and put together a plan to get your sleep back on track for long term improvement.
Parenthood is a never ending rollercoaster - one that requires physical strength, emotional resilience, and stamina. As there is not one aspect of our physical and mental wellbeing in which sleep does not impact, setting yourself up with a foundation for healthy sleep will help keep you balanced and allow you to show up as your best self to support your family.
If you’re finding that your sleep has changed for the worse during this transitional time and/or you’re wanting to establish healthy sleep once the baby comes, speak to a sleep coach to discuss how they can help.
