Pregnancy comes with a whole host of symptoms. Whether you can’t sleep due to braxton hicks, charlie horses, or just plain insomnia, it is no fun at all not to get a full night’s rest. If you’re suffering insomnia during pregnancy, here are some ways to drift off at night instead of counting the minutes.
- A hot shower or bath right before bed.
- Turning off all your electrical items an hour early. Wind down and get yourself ‘in the mood’ for sleep without distractions.
- Don’t drink for two hours before bed. Then you’ll be less likely to need a pee as soon as you begin to feel drowsy.
- Nap before 3pm. Pregnancy is exhausting but napping can make you tired. However it’s best to have your nap earlier in the day.
- Check your iron & folate intake. Many synthetic prenatals aren’t easily absorbed so look into more natural forms.
- Raise your magnesium levels with magnesium oil or an epsom salts bath. Magnesium will help relax your muscles and lower anxiety.
- Sleep with comfortable pillows, with a pillow between your legs or a pregnancy wedge.
- Get a massage – if you’re lucky, your partner may give you one.
- Have a glass of hot milk. Also helps with acid reflux.
- Stare at an object for as long as you can – after awhile you’ll no longer be able to hold concentration.
- Exercise. Wear yourself out a little before bed with a walk around the block.
- Watch a happy movie. Then when it ends, lay down and prepare to sleep.
- Finish something, a small task you’ve been putting off. A sense of achievement will relax you and may help you fall asleep faster.
- Soft, loose and comfortable pajamas.
- Go to sleep earlier. An early bedtime can make it easier to fall asleep since you’re not overtired.
- Homeopathy. There are a range of herbal sprays and other natural sleep aids. Check with a pharmacist or doctor which ones are safe for pregnancy.
- Swap fluorescent bulbs for incandescent ones. This has been shown to increase REM sleep cycles.
- Turn on a fan, white noise or low music to drown outside noises that may disturb you.
- Meditation and relaxation can calm you down and get you into the right mindset for bedtime.
- A cool cloth on your head can help, or gently rubbing a damp wet cloth over your body before bed.
- Don’t lay down. Sit propped up by pillows as this can sometimes make sleeping easier rather than laying down.
Susannah is a certified Birth Doula through Childbirth International and the founder of Trimester Talk. With a background in journalism and digital strategy, she combines evidence-based research with real-world knowledge to create accessible content about pregnancy and parenting. She’s a mother of two and stepmother of two more, all of them now teenagers.