How unfair — that when you need it the most, you can’t seem to get it. Insomnia during early pregnancy is usually due to factors such as hormonal changes. Many people experience insomnia at some point, during pregnancy. Better sleep hygiene, relaxation techniques, and cognitive behavioral therapy can help. For a new mom-to-be, experiencing sleep deprivation after the baby is born is a given.
But you probably didn’t realize that it could also occur during the first trimester of pregnancy. It turns out that pregnancy can make you feel exhausted all day long. It can also cause insomnia at night. Yup, those blissful Zzzs is somehow eluding you and many other expectant mums. Insomnia, or the inability to fall or stay asleep, can hit especially hard in the third trimester
Here are some of the most common culprits for insomnia during early pregnancy, plus a few tips to help you get a better night’s sleep:
Frequent bathroom trips
Frequent urination is also referred to as having an overactive bladder. Increased urinary frequency is an early symptom of pregnancy in women. It’s caused by an increase in the hormones progesterone and human chorionic gonadotropin. The urge can strike suddenly and can cause you to lose control of your bladder. It can feel uncomfortable like your bladder is extremely full.
The urges tend to reduce in the second trimester. In the third trimester, your baby’s growing size means they’re pressing even more on your bladder. The amount of urine you release will increase as well. As a result, you may have to wake up several times during the night to urinate. You also may experience increased urgency to urinate due to the added pressure. Having to go to the bathroom during the night happens a lot when you’re pregnant and can keep you up at night.
Nausea
Pregnancy-related nausea isn’t just a morning thing. It can strike at night, too.
Vomiting is an uncontrollable reflex that expels the contents of the stomach through the mouth. It’s also called “being sick” or “throwing up.” Nausea is a term that describes the feeling that you might vomit, but aren’t vomiting. Nausea and vomiting may occur together or separately.
Vomiting or throwing up. You might feel nauseous or throw up during the night. Both nausea and vomiting are very common symptoms. They can be caused by several physical and psychological conditions during pregnancy. There is no certainty that in which trimester you start feeling nauseous and when would it end. Hence your little one can cause you much Sleepless Night before coming into the real world.
Backache
Back pain can disrupt your daily routine or interfere with a good night of sleep. Back pain or discomfort is common during pregnancy and should be expected to some degree by most women. Lower back pain during pregnancy especially worsens at night and is severe enough to wake you up, which is the result of venous engorgement in the pelvis. The expanding uterus presses on the vena cava, particularly at night when you are lying down.
Back pain may be experienced during any point of your pregnancy; however, it most commonly occurs later in pregnancy as the baby grows. The good news is there are steps you can take to manage the back pain that you experience. Try using a pregnancy pillow to make sleeping more comfortable. Ask your doctor about recommended stretching exercises and if any low-impact exercises are safe for you — regular exercise can help with back pain.
Breast tenderness
Breast pain, also called mastalgia, is a common condition among women. The breasts develop due to an increase in estrogen during puberty. During pregnancy, various hormones cause changes in breast tissue that can lead to pain or discomfort in some women. Your breasts during early pregnancy may feel sore, sensitive, or tender to the touch. They may also feel fuller and heavier.
This tenderness and swelling will usually happen one to two weeks after you conceive, and it can last for a while as your progesterone levels rise due to your pregnancy. At night the tenderness can react just by the touch of cloth or by the touch of your partner. This may cause discomfort during the night. You may have a sleepless night due to breast ache.
Leg cramps
A pregnant woman with restless legs syndrome experiences twitchiness and discomfort in the legs, usually after going to bed. As this can lead to insomnia, it is considered a sleep disorder. Restless legs syndrome may be classed as mild or severe, depending on the frequency and severity of the symptoms, how well the symptoms can be relieved by moving around, and how much disturbance they cause.
Leg cramps and restless legs. Changes in your circulation and pressure from the baby on nerves and muscles can make your legs cramp up. You may also get a creepy-crawly feeling in your legs known as restless legs syndrome. This can make your nights uncomfortable and causes sleepless nights.
Vivid Dreams
While it will vary from woman to woman there are some consistent changes that most women report if their dreams change during pregnancy. If you are pregnant it’s important to be aware of the possible changes that could occur. You may already know your body is going to go through some physical changes, but these changes combined with changes in hormone levels, comfort levels, and sleep patterns can impact you emotionally and psychologically as well.
Are pregnancy dreams part of these changes? Some pregnant women have reported having a change in their dream state during sleep as a result of pregnancy. Some of these pregnancy dream changes include Vivid dreams, Nightmares, Anxiety based dreams, More intense dreams, the ability to remember dreams more clearly, More frequent dreaming. This may cause insomnia and sleeplessness.