One of the biggest pieces of advice that I’ve gotten from parents for my pregnancy is “Sleep while you can!”. But geez, it’s hard! I suppose it’s nature’s way of getting us ready for the newborn weeks. That being said, I’ve found a few things that have helped me get a good night’s rest during pregnancy and decided it was post-worthy, so here you go!
- Hydrate a lot and hydrate early! Hydration is so so important during pregnancy, you just have to prioritize it always. Waking up to pee in the middle of the night is nothing new for me, even pre-pregnancy I’d get up at least once. But waking up to leg or foot cramps due to dehydration is TERRIBLE. If you stay hydrated and more importantly drink plenty of water early. Your body will be more likely to sleep and you’ll be less likely to wake up in pain, win-win!
- Keep a cup of water next to the bed. Every time I get up, I take one or two big sips and that helps keep the hydration throughout the night. On the rare instance where I’ve needed to make my way to the kitchen for a refill, it’s woken me up so much, it’s hard to sleep. And sometimes you wake up and just need water to get back to sleep.
- Invest in a pregnancy pillow. This is one of my top pregnancy purchases. I have no idea how Laura made it through her entire pregnancy without one.
I bought mine early in the second trimester and haven’t looked back! I sleep with it every night and it greatly helps me stay supported, on my side and also helps minimize hip pain. I have this one but have friends that have (and love!) this shape as well. - Set the thermostat. Most of my pregnancy has been during the warm/hot summer months and the pregnancy pillow keeps me super insulated. I’ve had a few nights of waking up too hot or too cold and having to re-adjust everything. Right around the start end of the first trimester, my husband and I moved to a new place with central air (woohoo! it’s the little things that make you feel like an adult!). It was a game-changer for us to be able to adjust our sleeping temperature and really helped my sleep.
- Put a notepad on your bedside table. One of my biggest reasons for not getting a good night’s sleep during pregnancy has been that once I wake up to a kick, my to-do list starts going and I can’t get back to sleep. By keeping a note pad on my bedside table, I’ve been able to write down whatever I’ve thought of and let it sit there instead of my head. It instantly eases my mind that I won’t forget about it in the morning and can let go of it now to focus on sleep.
- Don’t make the room too dark. This may seem counter-intuitive, but it really works well for me. If I have to use my cellphone light to find my way around the room when I get up to pee, the brightness wakes me up even more. But by having a little bit of natural (read: city) light coming in, I am able to get around the room without my eyes being shocked.
PS – this post is part of our list of goals to write about during 2019, check out the full list here!
Have you come up with tips for how to sleep better during pregnancy (or life!)? Let us know in the comments!