by: jannalabarriePosted on:

9 things that helped me get a better night’s sleep while pregnant and working

Trouble sleeping is one of the universal struggles of pregnancy. 

Trouble sleeping while pregnant and working a full-time job is a special struggle for working soon-to-be moms.

Being unable to sleep while working full-time was a massive challenge – not only was I exhausted from being pregnant, I was also exhausted from working all day.

Many of us work right up until our due date, but lack of sleep can make it hard for us to make it through the day.

Causes of bad sleep during pregnancy

Carrying and growing a tiny human makes it difficult to get comfortable and sleep soundly at night, despite the physical exhaustion we feel as pregnancy progresses.

Why is it so hard for us to sleep during pregnancy?

Significant changes in our body’s physical processes and hormone levels can contribute to back and hip pain, issues with sleep positioning, heartburn, congestion, swelling, vivid dreams, and leg cramps – all of which make sleeping a struggle.

Back, hip, and pelvic pain

Pain in the low back and hips is common during pregnancy, as the added weight of the baby and extra fluid in the uterus puts increased pressure on our joints and muscles.

If we have been active and working for most of the day, that pain can really hit hard at night.

Pregnancy hormones also cause the ligaments in our back and pelvis to become looser, which can further contribute to instability and discomfort. 

Heartburn

They say when we have a lot of heartburn, our baby has a lot of hair. Although there’s no scientific evidence to prove this, it was true for me!

Heartburn was by far my worst and most frequent pregnancy symptom, and one of the main reasons I couldn’t sleep well at night.

So what actually causes heartburn during pregnancy?

It’s probably not because of a head full of hair, but rather due to changes in the way our digestive system processes food, the effects of hormones, and our growing baby pushing on the stomach. 

Side sleeping when we’re not used to it

If we’re not natural side sleepers, it’s uncomfortable when we have to make that position change in the later phases of pregnancy – doctors typically recommend side sleeping once we are in the third trimester to encourage good circulation.

In addition to being uncomfortable, side sleeping may also put increased pressure on our hips, which can lead to nagging side-butt soreness.

Swelling

During pregnancy, the volume of fluid in our bodies increases drastically to support our growing baby.

Along with all that fluid, there are changes in our blood vessels and circulation, which leads to swelling in our hands and feet.

Swelling is usually at its worst in the evening after we’ve been active throughout the day, and it can lead to muscle soreness, discomfort, and even nerve pain from tissue compression.

Needing to pee more often

When our baby isn’t bouncing on our bladders, our kidneys are working overtime to process all the increased fluid in our bodies – which basically means we need to pee all the time, including in the middle of the night.

Congestion, sneezing, and stuffy nose

Increased dilation of blood vessels in the nose along with inflammation of the nasal passages during pregnancy can lead to congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing – also called pregnancy rhinitis.

I experienced this pretty badly in my third trimester.

It wasn’t particularly painful, but the constant congestion made it hard to breathe and sleep comfortably at night.

Leg cramps

There’s nothing like being woken out of a peaceful, hard-earned sleep with sudden and severe leg cramps.

It happens often in the later stages of pregnancy – we’ve finally found a comfortable position and we’re drifting off to sleep… then boom – cramp in the calf.

These cramps are often so severe that we have to get out of bed and stretch to get some relief.

Estimates suggest more than half of all pregnant women get leg cramps. While there’s no one definitive cause, it could be due to dehydration, muscle overuse, dietary factors, circulation changes, or compression of the nerves supplying the legs.

Regardless of the cause, it can significantly disrupt our sleep. 

Stress

It’s important not to underestimate the potential for pregnancy-related stress to disrupt our sleep.

We may lay awake at night worrying about work, finances, childbirth, relationships, our bodies, and other anticipated post-baby changes.

These feelings may be amplified for first-time moms who aren’t quite sure what to expect.

Vivid dreams

It’s not uncommon for pregnant women to experience vivid dreams or nightmares during sleep.

It’s not known for sure why they happen, but they may be a reflection of our conscious daily experiences, fears, and anxieties.

They’re generally not something to be too concerned about, but they do have the potential to interrupt our sleep. 

Throughout my pregnancy and especially in my third trimester, I often had trouble sleeping due to various pregnancy symptoms.

Despite that, I had to be very active and moving constantly while working with patients all day.

If I didn’t find ways to get as much rest as I could, I wouldn’t have made it all the way up to my due date.

1. Using a pillow between my knees at night

Putting a pillow between my knees when lying on my side helped align my spine into a neutral position, giving me some relief from nighttime back and hip pain.

I bought a pregnancy pillow for this purpose, but standard pillows would have worked just fine.

2. Stretching in the evening

A 5-10 minute stretch in the evening helped to calm me down mentally and eased some of the tension in my back and hips after a long day’s work.

If we have nerve or sciatic pain (pain radiating down into the legs), stretching can help to reduce the pain intensity, which can promote a more restful night’s sleep.

Another benefit of regular stretching throughout pregnancy is that it helps to loosen the muscles around the pelvis, preparing our bodies for childbirth. 

3. Not eating or drinking too close to bedtime

Small diet changes were hugely helpful when it came to avoiding excessive bathroom trips at night.

I tried to limit eating and drinking too close to bedtime, and made an effort to keep evening eating (and drinking) to small portions only.

Another reason to avoid late-night eating is that large meals exacerbated my heartburn, making it difficult to get good sleep.

4. Using a humidifier in the bedroom

If congestion is the reason we can’t sleep, a humidifier can be helpful.

Dry air dries out the nasal passages and can lead to even more congestion and difficulty breathing.

Humidifiers put moisture back into the air, which is particularly helpful when the air is drier in the winter.

I struggled with night congestion in my third trimester, but using a humidifier in my bedroom actually helped a lot.

5. Using an air purifier

Congestion can sometimes be exacerbated by dust and other airborne irritants. An air purifier can help with that.

Air purifiers work to remove dust particles from the air and may help us to breathe easier at night, encouraging better sleep.

When looking to buy one, I considered the square footage of my bedroom to make sure it was the right size, and also checked that it had a HEPA filter.

6. Using nasal strips

Nasal strips were another helpful solution to my frustrating nighttime congestion.

Nasal strips physically open up the nasal passages to help us breathe better.

I used these a lot during my pregnancy, and they worked quite well when it came to getting comfortable enough to fall asleep.

The only problem I had was that the strip would sometimes lose its stickiness and come off halfway through the night.

7. Elevating my head for heartburn relief

I had nasty heartburn during my pregnancy, so I know how disruptive it can be to a good night’s rest.

Using a small wedge or pillows to elevate my head and upper body into a slight incline helped to keep acids down in the stomach so I wasn’t too uncomfortable when I lay down. 

8. Practicing good sleep hygiene

Sleep hygiene refers to behaviors and adjustments to our environment that support a good night’s sleep.

Practicing good sleep habits helped me to create a calming, peaceful environment at night that was conducive to rest.

That included not looking at my phone before bed, setting a comfortable temperature in the bedroom, eliminating noise and light, and practicing the same bedtime routine consistently at the same time every day.

It might take some time to develop good sleep habits, but once we do, it becomes much easier to fall asleep. 

9. Doing stress reduction or mindfulness techniques before bed

It’s not easy to turn our brains off and just fall asleep, especially when we are struggling with daily anxieties and stress.

Doing stress reduction or mindfulness techniques in the evening helped to calm my minds and body, preparing me mentally and physically for rest.

For example, practicing gratitude or mindfulness while laying in bed helped me deal with pregnancy-related stress and helped me to be more relaxed so I could drift off to sleep.

For most of us, sleeping during pregnancy is a challenge. We can’t change the physical processes of pregnancy, but we can adjust our behaviors and environment to get as much sleep as we can so we can continue working and doing our daily tasks. We might not be sleeping as soundly as our growing baby, but we’ll at least have a better chance of getting the sleep we need to support us both.

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