Sleeping During Pregnancy

FamilyPregnancy

  • Author Emme Jane
  • Published June 2, 2010
  • Word count 517

Pregnant women who are natural tummy sleepers may wonder if stomach sleeping during pregnancy is safe for their baby. Sleep is very important for the pregnant woman and later on in pregnancy, any sleep is better than none. If you follow the rules, however, the left lateral position is the one recommended over stomach or back sleeping positions.

You may find that a memory foam mattress may help you both to get a better nights sleep. A memory foam mattress moulds to your each of your body's but leaves the rest of the mattress perfectly flat. This means that there is no sinking of the mattress in the middle which can lead you both ending up in the middle of the bed together. Sleeping on a memory foam mattress can give you the space you need to move and stretch without affecting your partners side of the mattress. Sleepsure memory foam mattresses also do not contain springs which can squeak and creak as you move around on the mattress which can also disturb your partner.

Additional benefits of lying on your side include:

o Helping to prevent or reduce varicose veins

o Help with preventing constipation

o Preventing hemorrhoids

o Reduce the occurrence of swelling in your legs

Benefits of sleeping on the left side may include:

o Help in keeping the uterus off the liver due to the liver being on the right side of the abdomen

o Optimizes blood flow to the placenta and your baby

The simple explanation is that the ever increasing size of the feotus makes it very difficult for an expectant mother to find a comfortable sleeping position. If one has always been a back or stomach sleeper, they might have trouble getting used to sleeping on their side, as doctors recommend. A complicated combination of hormones and a number of unhelpful conditions are bound to antagonize sleep problems.

Just as you will establish a bedtime routine for your newborn once he or she arrives, a relaxing bedtime routine will also help you to drop off. You should try to go to bed at approximately the same time each night so that your body begins to expect sleep. Additionally, taking a bath, having a warm milky drink or simply putting your feet up for half an hour before you go to bed will help you to wind down and hopefully make sleep come easier.

Now if you do want to get a good night sleep you can try sleeping on your sides. Left side has a preference, as your uterus will not press on your liver, while left side only has a colon. Further more, when sleeping on your sides, you take the pressure of your back. However, you should NOT sleep in the soft bad, but in the firmer mattress.

Women who normally sleep on their back or stomach often find getting enough restful sleep especially challenging. Sleeping on the back is discouraged because of compression of the uterus on the large blood vessels (inferior vena cava) and on the intestines, causing decreased blood flow and oxygen to the baby.

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