Sleep deprivation during pregnancy has an impact not just on you and your baby, but also on labor and delivery. Sleep deprivation has been linked to a slew of issues during pregnancy. Being excessively fatigued, if not exhausted, is one of the first symptoms you may feel when you get pregnant. You’ll find it difficult to resist sleep. Changes in hormones, particularly the additional progesterone that comes with pregnancy, are most likely to blame. Pregnancy reduces blood pressure and blood sugar levels in the beginning, making you weary. Your energy should return shortly after the first trimester. You will start to feel fatigued again throughout the third trimester. Some of this can be attributed to the physical weariness that comes with childbirth and the stress it places on your body. Your fatigue, on the other hand, is directly related to your failure to get a decent night’s sleep during this period. Even if you’ve never had trouble sleeping before, you might find it more difficult now that you’re expecting.
Sleep should never be thought of as an extravagance. It’s a necessity especially if you’re expecting a child. According to the studies, pregnant women require a few extra hours of sleep every night or should supplement their nightly sleep with naps throughout the day. Many pregnant women find it more difficult to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night as their pregnancy progresses. In this stage, sleep is hampered by a variety of physical and emotional issues. Anxiety over becoming a mother or expanding your family can keep you up at night. Insomnia can be caused by a fear of the unknown or the delivery. There’s also the issue of having to get up every few hours to use the restroom. Finding a comfortable position in bed can sometimes be tough, particularly if you used to sleep on your stomach. If any of the following keeps you awake at night, consider these sleep-inducing tactics.
The common physical symptoms are as follows:
Increasing size of the fetus
The first and most serious cause of sleep disorders during pregnancy is the fetus’s growing size, which makes it difficult to find a comfortable resting posture. If you’ve always slept on your back or stomach, you might find it difficult to adjust to sleeping on your side. Additionally, as your pregnancy advances and you gain weight, shifting about in bed becomes more difficult.
The frequent urge to urinate
Your kidneys have to work harder to filter the greater volume of blood flowing through your body, which results in more urine being produced. The pressure on your bladder increases as your baby grows and the uterus expands. This means more bathroom visits throughout the day and night. If your baby is extremely active at night, the number of nighttime bathroom trips may be higher.
Increased heart rate
As more of your blood supply flows to the uterus, your heart has to work harder to get enough blood to the rest of your body.
Shortness of breath
The increased levels of pregnancy hormones will force you to take deeper breaths. You can feel as if you have to work harder to breathe. Breathing may become more difficult as your uterus grows larger and takes up more space, putting strain on your diaphragm.
Backaches and leg cramps
The additional weight you’re carrying may cause leg or back pain. Relaxin is a hormone produced by the body during pregnancy that aids in the preparation for birthing. The loosening of ligaments throughout the body is one of relaxin’s effects, making pregnant women less stable and more susceptible to injury, particularly in their backs.
Heartburn and constipation
Many pregnant women get heartburn, which occurs when the contents of the stomach back up into the oesophagus. The entire digestive system slows down during pregnancy, and food lingers in the stomach and intestines for longer, causing heartburn and constipation. When the developing uterus pulls on the stomach or the big intestine, both of these symptoms can worsen later in the pregnancy.
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