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Insomnia
is a very common occurrence during pregnancy, affecting about 80% of
pregnant women at some stage of their pregnancy. Difficulty in
sleeping is especially common during the first and third trimesters.
This may be due to the woman’s inability to find a comfortable
sleeping position, leg cramps, heart burn, nausea, pressure on the
bladder which produces an urge to urinate, or simply anxiety and
excitement over the impending birth. However, it is possible to enjoy
a good’s night sleep during pregnancy. Here are some simple
behavioral changes that could be just what you need:
Get
in some exercise every day ( but not in the evening before bed time)
Establish
a night time routine which you find relaxing and enjoyable
Have
a warm bath 90 minutes before bed-time
Don’t
eat within 90 minutes of retiring
If
you can’t sleep, stop tossing and turning and put on the light.
Reach for your favorite book and enjoy the solitude.
From
about the seventh month of pregnancy it becomes increasingly
difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep in. From a safety
perspective, it is best to sleep on your left side. Several products
are available to reduce discomfort during sleep for pregnant women.
The maternity pillow is actually two pillows, attached with fabric
and adjustable Velcro tabs that provide simultaneous support in front
and in back. A pregnancy wedge is a wedge-shaped pillow that
supports your belly when you lie on your side. You can also use it to
prop yourself up to a semi-recline when you're lying on your back.
Full-length body pillows are at least five feet long and are designed
to support the back and cradle the belly. All of these products are
available from your nearest baby store. Alternatively, you could
simply tuck a pillow between your legs near your knees.
(Sadock
BJ, Sadock VA (2003). Sleep disorders section of Normal sleep and
sleep disorders. In Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry:
Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry, 9th ed., pp. 760–767.
Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins).
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