Sleeping positions during pregnancy

You may be a habitual on-tummy sleeper or keep rolling all over the bed asleep. But, now that you are pregnant, you cannot sleep the way you want. While it may sound confining to let go the freedom to sleep how-so-ever you want to, it will make you feel better that taking care of your sleeping positions during pregnancy is for the highest good for your baby’s health.

What is the best sleeping position during pregnancy?

Sleeping on the side is considered the best sleep position during pregnancy. Though sleeping on either side is recommended, research says that sleeping on your left side is most beneficial for your baby because it promotes the overall circulation of oxygen and nutrients to your baby.

Ways to make sleeping on side comfortable

It is not easy to get a 10 to 6 sound sleep during pregnancy. There can be multiple factors that disturb your sleep in pregnancy - to name a few are mental anxiety about and labor and baby, pregnancy symptoms like restless leg syndrome, heel pain, back pain and varicose veins, and not to mention your big belly on the front. While your body is adjusting to the myriad of changes happening in you, you may want to make peace with lying on the sides as you rest on the bed. In order to make it more comfortable, you may want to try the following tips:

·         Make sure your hair is tied or left loose in a position which doesn’t interfere with your sleep.

·         Empty your bladder just before getting on to the bed. It can prevent a bathroom visit soon after you settle down on the bed, though you cannot avoid waking up later in urgency.

·         If you are bothered by backache in sleep, try placing a pillow by the side of your back when you lie on your side. It can provide a soothing support to your back.

·         Sleeping in the same position throughout the night is no fun. You may want to change sides or use a pillow in between your legs.

·         If you experience gasping for breath during sleep, try propping your upper body using pillows.

What sleeping positions during pregnancy are to be avoided?

The thumb rule of sleeping positions during pregnancy is to avoid the following positions, especially in late pregnancy as your bump grows bigger:

·         Sleeping on your tummy

·         Sleeping on your back

Sleeping on your belly during pregnancy has to be avoided for the obvious reasons that it will be uncomfortable and unsafe for your baby.

Sleeping on your back is not alright either. Sleeping on the back exerts your added pregnancy weight on the vital blood vessels of the body and those which carry blood to the placenta. As a result, the amount of blood that flows to the placenta is restricted while sleeping on the back during pregnancy. This sleep position during pregnancy can also make backaches and hemorrhoids worse.

 

According to a popular research, pregnant women who slept on their backs in the third semester had stillbirth than those who did not. It must be noted that sleeping on the back is not the cause of stillbirth in babies, but the chances for stillbirth increases for pregnant women who already carry risks of stillbirth when they routinely sleep on their backs.