Getting some good night sleep when you are pregnant is never a simple task. However,
the problem is also that there are many things that women do or don’t do
which makes their sleep even worse. Right, so in this video, we are going to discuss the 6 things
which pregnant women often do wrong, which prevents them from having a restful sleep.
And of course, we are also gonna show you how to improve your sleep. Yes.
Plus, we are also going to share with you the number one tip that pregnant women find
most helpful for a better night sleep. You will be surprised. This is Nathalie a pregnancy and
birth consultant and TCM therapist and that’s Mathias a researcher and science geek and we
are here to help pregnant mommies naturally and science based! Thanks so much for watching this!
Let's get started!
Okay, so the first reason why pregnant women often don’t have a restful sleep is because
they always sleep in the same sleeping position and that’s a left side-lying position. Of course,
the advantage of that position is that your baby’s weight will not press against your vena cava
which is the vein that carries deoxygenated blood back to your heart. In other words,
your baby will get enough oxygen if you sleep in that position, right? However, let’s face it: sleeping
in one and the same position for weeks and even months can be quite a pain. So, what can you do?
Well, what most women don’t know is that according to recent scientific research it is also
okay to sleep on your right side. So, you don’t necessarily have to sleep on your left side only,
unless your doctor tells you to, of course. But scientists say that it is totally okay to switch
between your left and right side every now and then. Yes. On top of that, there is also one thing
which can considerably increase the comfort of both side-lying positions. And that’s supporting
your body with lots of pillows. Most importantly, you will want to put a pillow between your legs
and another one or two behind your back. These few pillows alone can make your sleep so much better.
Yes. And finally, you should also know that most doctors nowadays agree that it is also okay
to sleep on your back, as long as your back is in a semi-reclined position. In other words,
you have to make sure that your back has an angle of at least 45 degrees in order to avoid that your
baby’s weight suppresses the oxygen supply to your baby. And if you do that you can as well sleep on
your back if that is what you prefer. Just keep in mind that if your baby is in a malposition,
for example, breech or occiput posterior at the end of your pregnancy, a semi-reclining
position may not the best position to sleep in. But more about this at the end of this video. Right.
So, in brief: you have 3 and not just one sleeping position from which you can choose from
unless your doctor tells you otherwise of course. The next thing that most pregnant women do wrong
is the handling of electronic devices while they are sleeping. In fact, most women sleep surrounded
by electronic devices, whether that be a TV, a tablet or a cell phone. Unfortunately though,
many scientific studies came to the conclusion that the radiation and electromagnetic fields
that electronic devices emit, can have a negative impact on your sleep. Yes. So, if you want to have
a better night sleep, the first thing you have to do is ban all electronic devices from your
bedroom. And this particularly includes your cell phone. Or at least, turn them off! Also,
please never charge any electronic devices in your bedroom, even if they are turned off!
Yes. And the reason is that the charging process itself can cause a strong electromagnetic field
which could interfere with your good night sleep, as many scientific studies have shown.
So, please charge your electronic devices in another room over-night, right? Finally, anything
that emits a blue light in your bedroom, like for ex. your cell phone or a blue radio display, should
be banned from your bedroom. Studies show that blue light can interfere with melatonin levels
which can make it more difficult to fall asleep or to have a proper night-time sleep. Right. The
next reason why your sleep might not be restful, is heartburn. Obviously, heartburn is a nasty
problem during pregnancy, which keeps many women awake during the night. And it is very difficult
to “control” heartburn. However, the problem is very often that women don’t address that issue at
all although there are several things that should be avoided if you suffer from heartburn. Yes. So,
first of all, late-night snacks should be avoided. Anything that you eat less than 2 hours before you
go to bed can make your heartburn worse. On top of that, there are also things that you eat and drink
during the day which can make heartburn worse at night, particularly when you eat them in the
afternoon. Most importantly, try to reduce the amount of greasy and sugary foods that you eat.
Exactly. Moreover, try to cut back on acidic foods and drinks, particularly fizzy drinks, but
also acidic fruits, like grapes and pineapples, for instance. And if your heartburn at night is really bad,
try to sleep in the back lying position that we mentioned earlier because if your upper
body is elevated, it will keep the acid in your stomach. Right. The next reason why pregnant women often
don’t have a restful sleep, is because they don’t exercise. However, it was shown in many scientific
studies that regular exercise can improve sleep. And please keep in mind that you don’t need to do
anything fancy. A regular walk in the nature of at least half an hour can already be more than
enough for a better night sleep. Yes. On the other hand, when you do decide to exercise at the gym,
you should do it the right way because this is another thing that many women do wrong: they
either do the wrong exercises or they exercise at the wrong time during the day. Yes. So,
first of all, particularly when you are in your third trimester, long intense workouts should be
avoided. Not only can such intense workouts have a negative impact on the baby as some scientific
studies have found. They can also have a negative impact on sleep. Yes. The same negative impact on
sleep can also happen if your workouts are very late during the day. For example, some
women won’t be able to have a good night sleep if they exercise later than 3pm in the afternoon.
But that’s not the same for every woman, okay? We just want to make you aware of it so that you
can keep an eye on it… Yes. And finally, another thing that many women do wrong is they don’t take
care of what they eat and drink. Obviously, if you eat a very heavy meal, consisting of lots of fat,
your body will have a very hard time digesting it during the night. And whenever that’s the case,
your sleep won’t be the best, right? Exactly. The same applies if you drink drinks that contain caffeine,
such as coke or coffee very late during the day. So, if your sleep is not the best, remember
to take care of these things. Plus, you should always make sure that you stay hydrated, because
dehydration can also make your sleep worse. Yes. Now, at the beginning, we promised you to share
with you the one thing that most pregnant women feel is the best way to have a better night sleep.
This was a bit surprising to us, but this is basically what women told us when we did a
survey years ago. And to our surprise, the top answer, the one thing that has helped women the
most with a better night sleep, is neither exercise nor relaxation techniques. It is
white noise. Yes. White noise is simply a constant monotonic noise that you hear in the background,
like the sound of a bathroom fan or dish washer. And the reason why women find it so relaxing is
because it helps them cancel out other noises, such as the noise of a snoring partner, people
talking outside, police cars driving by etc. Yes. So apparently, many pregnant women cannot sleep
because of a snoring partner, right? Anyways, if you want to listen to white noise with your cell phone,
please remember to switch your cell phone into flight mode. Yes. Alternatively,
buy a white noise machine. However, make sure that it is battery operated because such machines emit
less radiation. Yes. Moreover, please make sure that it does not come with a blue display,
so that it does not interfere with your good night sleep, right? And one more thing: if you also have some
advice on what can improve sleep when you are pregnant, please share it with other women in the
comment section below this video – if you like, right? Right. By the way: initially, we also told you that if
your baby is in a malposition, for example, breech or occiput posterior at the end of your pregnancy,
then side-lying positions are to be preferred over semi-reclined back-lying positions. And
that’s because if you do it the right way, such side-lying positions can provide your baby with
more room on your womb to turn. So, if you want to know what is the best sleeping position to turn a
breech or an otherwise malpositioned baby, watch the video that pops up now. You can also find it
in the description below this video. Right. We do hope that you found this video helpful!
If you did, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a like! Yes, and for useful tips and tricks
on pregnancy and baby-related topics, make sure to subscribe to our channel and to hit he bell!