Sleep is essential for the health of your baby and yourself during your pregnancy journey. Although the changes taking place in your body may make getting rest quite hard, sleep enhances a healthier pregnancy. Your body lets out progesterone during the first trimester. Progesterone in the body acts as a natural sedative.
Having a sedative may hamper your natural sleep rhythms. Besides, it may make you have a feeling of being groggy all day long. In the second and third trimesters, changes taking place in your body now start becoming more visible. Below are tips to help you improve your sleep during pregnancy.
Have the right mattress
The mattress you sleep on can have a significant influence on your sleep. The pressure is felt on your shoulder points and hips if your mattress is too firm. A soft bed may fail to support your back and neck well. If your current mattress is not working for you, then get yourself a new UK memory foam mattress.
However, before sleeping on a new bed, have the opportunity of first trying it out to know if it will work out for you and whether the mattress is comfortable. It is good to get one that works well for you since you may decide to get a firm mattress that may cause pressure joints pain or a soft one that may provide insufficient support.
Go to bed when you are drowsy
Your body undergoes so many changes during pregnancy. One change you get is the reduction in the amount of sleep you need to get. In case you get yourself dozing off earlier than usual, do not worry. When you are pregnant, it is normal to feel sleepy early.
It is good to always listen to your body during pregnancy to adjust to your new bedtime routine following how you feel. If your body asks for some needs, for instance, retiring to bed early, respect it and head to bed.
Avoid taking caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant that may make you have inappropriate effects on your sleep patterns. Caffeine always keeps you awake for a very long time before retiring to bed as compared to your original bedtime. Taking caffeine in the late-night will make your baby stay awake and you as well.
Caffeine aftermath results bring about profound effects on the duration and sleep quality you get every night. To avoid having sleep disruption in the middle of the night, get rid of caffeine from your diet.
Get some sun
To keep your body system functional and active, ensure that you get enough sun exposure during the day. Melatonin secretion gets disrupted if you do not get enough sleep since it is the one that signals when the body feels like sleeping.
Sun basking for around twenty minutes is vital. Running or walking around for the same minutes is taken to be equivalent to exposing yourself to the sun for the day. Sitting by a window or reading a book outside is a less active option of sun-basking for pregnant women.
As you are sun basking, do not forget to take good care of your skin by applying some sunscreens. It is also good not to bask under the hot sun since the UV rays may be too harsh for your skin.
Have your room to be as dark as possible
Light is a requirement during the day and not at night. Ensure your room is dark when you are going to sleep for your body to get deep sleep. Get heavy curtains that will cover your windows to block all the light sources entering your room. Turn off any glowing electronics that you may have and a digital clock with a hearable ticking sound.
In case you have a night light turn it off since it can inhibit melatonin secretion. Melatonin hormone is what makes people fall asleep faster. Lack of melatonin may cause you to be awake for a long time, even when it is time for you to retire to bed. Besides, if you decide to sleep and your brain registers a small amount of light through your eyelids, then you won’t get good deep sleep as you need.