Episode 7: Women and Sleep during pregnancy

In this episode I talk about how sleep is altered during pregnancy from a personal standpoint. I share a few tips as well that helped me and some that I came to appreciate later and wished I had known them earlier. I hope this episode goes along way in resonating and helping anyone out there who could be in this now. Thanks for tuning in and choosing to spend time with me. If you would like to support my work, click on the link below. 

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Transcript

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Hello everyone, welcome to the Sleep Lab Stories. If you're new here, thank you for choosing to spend this time with me. If you have been here before, thank you for coming back and for your support and consistency. Today's episode is more of a continuation of the previous episode where I bundled up everything on sleep in women, but I thought it's a such a huge topic that I probably will break down some of the things in the upcoming episodes, and that's why um today um today's segment will focus specifically on sleep during pregnancy. So sleep is experienced differently uh during pregnancy, and uh there are certain reasons why I'm choosing to focus on this today because pregnancy is one of the things that is unique to women only, and this it's also one of the things that also among women it's it's it makes sleep different, you know, and you probably have had or if if if some if it's someone who's gotten pregnant, people would say things like you get the sleep now before the baby arrives, like be while one is pregnant, but this might not only this is actually not uh something that is accurate that you might get it to you for you to get the sleep before the baby arrives. Well, first of all, it only applies maybe to first-time mums who don't have other kids who they need to tend to, and secondly, sleep already comes with challenges during pregnancy, and the reality is this is not something that is rare, but it it happens. I I can say that probably everyone who's gone through pregnancy has also experienced some challenges with their sleep. Much the severity varies, but the challenges are still there. So, why does sleep change during pregnancy and what happens in each trimester, and what are some of the practical strategies that can help improve sleep, and most importantly, when do we need to seek help, or when can when can one be advised to seek help when they during pregnancy and when they have uh issues with their sleep? So, those are some of the questions I'm going to tackle on this episode, and to begin with, sleep changes during pregnancy, that's no doubt, and sleep disruptions are not random. Actually, I had even before I confirmed I was pregnant, they my sleep already gave me some signs. I had very random dreams, some of them repeating and even continuing even after I woke up, and that was a bit also made my sleep quite restless. And um of course the vividness of these dreams made it uh weird or made my sleep uh I mean the it not only was accompanying or the reason behind it was not only the biological changes that were happening but also the psychological part of it where the body is probably already preparing and psychologically and physically for the changes that are coming. So, what are these changes then? The first obvious change, of course, are the hormones. The progesterone levels rise significantly in early pregnancy, and this hormone it not only has the sedative effect where one is mostly tired and feels exhausted during the day, but at night it can cause the fragmentation in sleep and lead to the frequent waking. I'm not sure about the dreams, but probably it has something with the hormones as well, because dream is also one of the things or the uh factor uh in sleep that is still not so much like I personally don't find any dissatisfactory explanation on what exactly dreams are and why we dream the way we do. So then there is the physical change that comes along and makes sleep also different. As the body grows, the center of gravity shifts. This can cause back pain, hip discomfort, and general restlessness. And to add on that, things like heartburn and needing to go to the bathroom more often make sleep of course interrupted. And there's also the circulation and breathing changes. Some people develop nasal congestion or even snoring during pregnancy. Snoring specifically allows me to divert a bit, becomes an issue if especially one didn't have this before. Of course, if one already had that and already did something about it, that's good. But if one didn't have which means there was nothing already done before that, it becomes an issue because snoring is like a prestige to a disorder like sleep apnea, and a full-blown sleep apnea at times could be what some women experience during pregnancy, which goes untreated and undiagnosed, of course, underdiagnosed in this case because most of the time people associate being tired, like most of the symptoms during pregnancy are very typical for what people with sleep apnea experience, like extreme daytime tire fatigue, uh tire, I mean headaches in the morning, and uh like you know, lack of focus. So this means that if this goes untreated, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and things like high blood pressure diabetes increase. Some of these things could actually even extend after one has gotten the baby, and that's why I have to mention this or emphasize on this that things like snoring during pregnancy should not just be ignored, but one needs to pay attention to that and also get treatment or seek help if especially they feel that their time or rather the symptoms like I've that I mentioned are very very persistent. So there's also the emotional side to pregnancy that consequentially affects sleep. Pregnancy brings excitement but also anxiety, thoughts about thoughts about the child birth or the birthing process, parenting and life changes that the child brings about with them can easily keep the brain active at night. An interesting and maybe personal experience is that partners at times also do go through these emotions which with a similar intensity, and it's interesting that then at this point not only is the person carrying the baby the one affected, but you can see how this spills over. Something like pregnancy spills spills over to a complete to the whole household, and that generally, of course, will make if both of you are uh anxious or are worried about the future, about the child, about every the whole process of pregnancy. This makes not only the person experiencing the pregnancy and carrying the pregnancy have a post-lip, but at times also the partner, and yeah, now I'll narrow down to how sleep changes across the different trimester, which I'm getting more individual on the person carrying the pregnancy. During the first trimester, most people experience overwhelming fatigue. One might even need naps to get through the day, which is quite normal. However, despite feeling tired, one may also experience disrupted sleep due to nausea, hormonal changes, or frequent urination. During the second trimester, sleep might improve as severe symptoms like nausea might have subsided, and energy levels also stabilize as the body will have gotten used to the hormonal shifts and the changes and all these other things mentally or at times also just the preparation. However, this is also where the discomfort now sets in due to the physical changes where the bump has grown bigger, and at times some people put on weight, and that alone affects sleep on some individuals, you know, if not all. On the third trimester, things get back to the peak again, though due to different reasons this time, because by the third trimester the baby is fully grown, the bump is bigger now, and the baby movements are more noticeable, and um the fact that the baby movements are more noticeable. At times, even though this can wake one up, and it doesn't have anything else to do with the old the one's body, but now the baby's movement for maybe at times some babies are more active at night when the mother is sleeping. That can already cause um sleep disruptions, which again are mostly are then in the tri are more evident or more pronounced in the third trimester. So finding a comfortable position becomes difficult, and one may wake up throughout the night for various of these reasons. It's also common to feel anxious or mentally preoccupied as the due date is approaching, you know. So the third trimester brings along with it these kind of problems. So the general recommendation is for one to sleep on the side, particularly the left side, as this supports better blood flow to the placenta and reduces pressure on major blood vessels. We all know that it's difficult to keep the same position for the night, as this also comes with the other discomfort when you'll start feeling pain on one side and all that. But using pillows is quite recommended. I would recommend it personally because like so uh a good difference with that. Sometimes just placing one pillow between the knee or and one at the back for support, or generally, I mean I think the pregnancy pillows are also just quite good because they're already made for that, so just need one pillow and it serves its purpose. And now I'll go into some practical trips tips that can help one navigate this stage of life, which is pregnancy. A consistent sleep routine. I cannot emphasize enough on this. Um, this is from my own experience as well. A consistent sleep routine is like my number one rule whenever I'm talking about anything to do with sleep. Any any sleep, let me say, issues can easily be not really solved, but can get halfway solved when one gets a consistent routine, or it can be easy to observe them if once if one has a a consistent routine. So it's quite applicable in any situation. So, in case anything about sleep disorders issues, once you have a consistent routine, it can be easily easy to point out any misalignment or anything that is not go getting into what one is used to in terms of the sleep routine. A coming back time routine would also help in winding down and and relaxing the brain, which means things there, anxiety and all those other things that might make one's brain racing through the night can help if one has a calming routine, if it's music or whichever way one relaxes, to do that and keep it consistent. Thirdly, the diet avoid heavy meals and spicy food close to bedtime to keep off heartbans, and of course, the discomfort that comes with laying down on a full stomach. So, artbans, as we all could be knowing, are mostly also experienced most people, some people experience them only during pregnancy, and spicy foods are some of the culprits that bring this. So, if you eat them again late at night or shortly before going to bed, that the probability of at bands alone waking one up from their sleep are very high. Also, try gentle exercises during the day to stay active, and evening walks or simple stretching exercises would do. There are some also people offering like yoga for pregnancy. This can sometimes be online, or just I mean, walks are also like a golden rule. Walks, simple ones, they help not only in calming one down, but they are also not so intense. So, in case one has any complications or all that, a short walk even around the block or around where someone is staying, or just back forth with around one's own uh house can help. And in the fresh air is more recommended, but just uh if it's already one didn't have time during the day, or it didn't suit one to do exercises in during the day, works also suffice. And another tip would be to manage fluid intake. I know it's tricky, this one, because we need to stay hydrated, but the fluid intake one can also watch that they are not taken too late in the evening, that can make one's bladder full towards bedtime, and this leads to waking up frequently back and forth and all that. So stay hydrated but not so late in the night. Another tip would be napping, it can be helpful, but this one also has to watch out if you slap if you nap too long, it can also disrupt the night time sleep cycle. So don't make the naps short, not more than 30 minutes. 20 to 30 minutes is optimal, even if it you need to use an alarm clock for that, because such naps can also be very deep, and one might uh go step over the the limit, and this again will make one develop other issues at night, like stings, insomnia, and all that, but yeah, so keeping the naps short is just a general rule, or the point I would say on this one. Some other common sleep issues during pregnancy that might show up at any stage, or also not at all, are insomnia, restless legs syndrome, sleeper apnea, which I already mentioned earlier, and yeah, which is yeah, an advancement of snoring. And I already mentioned on how to handle that or how to go about that. Seek help if this is not something your body experienced before, or even if you've experienced it and you feel like it's not normal, or you're you're responding, how you feel during the day is not feeling normal. Last thing I would like to talk about in relation to sleep during pregnancy is the mental health aspect. This is the last but not the least, it's actually one of the very important parts. Post-sleep can increase stress and anxiety, making it harder to sleep. This sometimes could spill over to the postpartum period, which uh my mentor usually says it would be hard to stay fit after getting the baby if one didn't stay fit during pregnancy. So the sleep debt that one um had due throughout during pregnancy, we still have to be paid at some point, like sleep is a debt you have to pay. So if already one had sleep issues when they were pregnant, it's hard to have a healthy and fit mother postpartum. Most people might not realize it because maybe they're not even aware that they're sleeping because some statements that keep carelessly thrown around are it's normal to be tired during pregnancy, it's normal to snore during pregnancy. Yes, it's not normal, but there are consequences to it, and something can be done about it, and these are the consequences we are trying to avoid. So don't sit back and be told it's normal, if especially your body is already telling you that it's not normal, or you're not feeling that it's normal. Get help and don't be shy about that. And um, actually laying a good foundation for stability mentally starts way before the child is born. So if one wasn't sleeping well during the pregnancy, you can sure be you can be sure that the risk of uh developing postpartum depression can be very high. So I encourage anyone who could be going through this to to reach out for support, get help, and it you shouldn't be feeling like you failed as a mother for getting help or for jumping out of yeah, it's normal during pregnancy to feel this to to fix that. It could be normal, yes, but if it's not comfortable for you, you don't have through because everybody's normal is different, and you don't have to suffer alone. So I think I've emphasized enough on that, and I would like to say the symptoms of sleep up, no, like extreme fatigue that interfere with daily life, or just anything that doesn't feel right, you are very right about that. If it doesn't feel right, it's not right. So pregnancy is a time for transformation, and sure, sleep may not be perfect, and that's okay, but the goal isn't perfection, but rather improvement and support, and in this case, now I'm trying to create the awareness around that. Small changes can make meaningful difference, so get the help, get talk to a specialist, talk to your gynecologist, and at times it's good to mention what you need, you feel needs to be done. I am afraid that not everybody or not all gynecologists are at times aware of of how badly sleep affects uh the pregnant mother or pregnant woman. So if you know already how the to the extent of which this affects you, don't be afraid to tell them that you need help, that you need something fixed, even if they'll tell you it's normal, because I have had that, I've been told that that it's normal to feel this even when it wasn't normal. So, thank you for tuning in to our episode today in the Sleep Lab Stories. I hope you found this episode helpful. And if you'd like to support my work, check the link on the description. And remember to share with anyone else who might benefit as well. And also, we I welcome you to join me on any upcoming episodes. I welcome any feedback, interactions, and I would also have love to hear at times different experiences on on what you go through on the various topics that uh I discuss around sleep. So until next time, remember taking care of your sleep is part of part of taking care of your baby. So do that, and all the best to anyone who could be tuning in and expecting a baby, and I hope to see. And interact with you again.