Best Sleeping Positions During Pregnancy

Tossing and turning all night long, throwing away your covers, and even wrestling with your pillow won’t help you find the best sleeping positions in bed!

Not when you’re in the third trimester of your pregnancy!

The positions that used to give you such peaceful sleep before might not work any longer. It’s because your body is undergoing several changes and sleeping has just become extremely uncomfortable with your tummy growing every day.

Other than that, following issues might also be the reason behind your disturbed sleep:

Muscle cramps
Snoring
Restless leg syndrome
Backache
Itching
Nausea
Movements of your baby
Vivid dreams
Heartburn
Shortness of breath
Insomnia

However most of these issues are temporary and may come and go.

Fortunately, there are many positions that can help you sleep peacefully even during pregnancy. Before we move on to those sleeping positions, allow us to share some smart tips that will make your sleep better and avoid bad sleeping positions.

Tips for Sleeping Comfortably During Pregnancy

Skip that last late-night meal. You can have your dinner 3-4hours before sleeping but skip all the snacks and drinks after that. It can cause heartburn, create digestive issues, and most likely to keep you up all night and no sleeping position can take care of that.
If sleeps simply evades you, then consult a professional to recommend you some simple and easy exercises before going to bed. It will help you relax, increase the supply of oxygen and help you sleep better at night.
If you ever end up sleeping on a sofa, or a comfortable chair, don’t bother getting up to go to bed. Chances are, the bed will disappoint your greatly. So, go ahead and take a power nap and ask others to not disturb you. It might seem uncomfortable to them, but not to you.
Get out of bed when you can’t sleep instead of tossing and turning. Find a task around the house that will bore you soon, like cleaning, or folding laundry. Just walking a bit will help you stretch. When your mind is a bit more relaxed, go back to bed and see if you can sleep.
Make sure the temperature in the room is to your liking. Body heat normally increases during pregnancy and all the sweating and stuffiness in the room might be making it hard for you to sleep. When you find your ideal temperature, sleeping will be easy.
Stop working or reading in your bed. Your mind needs to associate the bed for sleeping. Only go to bed when you begin to feel sleepy.
Invest in some good pregnancy pillows. These pillows work wonder and help you find a very comfortable and cozy position on the bed.
Get away from all distractions before bedtime. Put the cell phone, laptop, music, and reading materials aside. At least 1 hour before bedtime, unplug and allow your mind to drain all thoughts away.
If you are napping for more than 2 hours during the day, you’ll naturally find it extremely hard to sleep at night. That said, don’t stop yourself from going to sleep in the middle of the day, just make sure you get back up in 30 minutes.
Create an environment that naturally makes you feel sleepy. Dim lights, closed curtains and perhaps your favorite smell in the room will help you fall into a deep slumber.

Sleeping Positions That Will Help you get a Good Night’s Sleep

Since your body is vulnerable at this time, there are not many positions that are healthy to adopt. These two are the best positions to sleep well without any side effects:

SOS (Sleeping on Side)

This position is famously called SOS and is much easier to adopt during pregnancy than a position that has you sleeping on your front or back. Sleeping on the right is often not encouraged by the doctors as it could exert pressure on the liver.

Hence the best position is most likely on your left where the liver and uterus do not put pressure on each other and allows the fetus to breaths freely.

You can turn to your side from time to time, but not for long.

Legs and Knees Bent

While you are on your left side, you can also bend your legs and knees to accommodate your belly better. For an even more comfortable position, place a pillow between your legs and you can even place one below your abdomen. This position will prove to be comfortable especially if you are having back pains.

Being in the same left side position, you can also prop your upper body with pillows to deal with heartburns. And the same position will also help you with shortness of breath.

Strangely shaped pregnancy pillows will help you a lot to support your abdomen. You can also drink a warm glass of milk prior to sleeping to aid in sleep.

Sleeping Positions to Avoid

On Your Back

Do not sleep on your back after your second trimester. It can lead to various problems and elevate backaches, shortness of breath, digestive issues. Etc. It can even lead to hemorrhoids and low blood pressure. This position might be okay in the earlier months of pregnancy but not after that. Sleeping on your back also reduces circulation to the heart and the baby.

Sleeping on Stomach

Another dangerous position to sleep during the pregnancy as well as in general is on your stomach. Stomach should not be pressed tightly against the bed as it will not accommodate your growing belly. It’s going to be super uncomfortable!

A relaxing massage, some deep breathing exercises and some yoga also help greatly with sleeping better. Just make sure the yoga is done under a professional supervisor. Simple stretching also helps you to fall asleep quickly.

If you are generally having trouble during night time, then use every napping opportunity to sleep peacefully, either day or night. It might not be enough, but it will help you rest and avoid exhaustion.

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