Pregnancy and sleep disorders are strongly connected. During the first trimester, you can barely keep your eyes open due to exhaustion and fatigue, thanks to pregnancy hormones. On the other hand, as your pregnancy progresses into the final trimester, you may find it difficult to even catch a wink at night owing to the sheer heaviness of your belly and frequent trips to bathroom. You may have to give up your years old habit of sleeping on your stomach or back and adopt some new ways of sleeping in order to protect your baby and assume a comfortable position for yourself. In fact, you may have to experiment with different ways to sleep while pregnant, to find what position suits you the best. Here are some of the best ways to sleep while pregnant.

Best Ways to Sleep While Pregnant

Incidentally, the best way to sleep while you are pregnant is sleeping on your side, preferably the left one. Sleeping on the left side offers maximum support to the pregnant woman, puts minimal pressure on the baby as well as her internal organs and also ensures adequate supply of blood and oxygen to the baby. However, maintaining left side position while you are asleep is impossible. In that case, you may switch sides throughout the night, while making sure that you spend most of it on your left side. If you simply cannot make yourself sleep on your left side and feel the need to roll over to the right side every few minutes, then there is really no harm in sleeping on your right side as well.

The best technique to sleep while you are pregnant is to use some pillows as props. Place a thin pillow between your legs, under your stomach and under your breasts for maximum support and comfort. You may also invest in a full body pregnancy pillow which adjusts and supports your pregnancy contours in an effective way. However, it may take up a substantial amount of space on your bed. Nonetheless, these pregnancy body pillows reduce the numbness in your feet and pain in your back. They may also prevent swelling of ankles and feet. Read the rest of this entry »