Sleeping a Lot During Pregnancy: Is It Normal?
Pregnancy is a good time for women to take sleep more seriously and try to get better rest. Therefore, you shouldn’t worry about sleeping a lot during pregnancy.
Being pregnant can be a stressful experience for a woman’s body. This is especially true during the first and third trimesters. For this reason, sleeping a lot during pregnancy is a great way to reduce emotional stress and physical discomfort.
It’s understandable that pregnant women need more rest. They can’t continue with the same amount of sleep they got before becoming pregnant.
Generally, you should sleep at least 8 hours per night. It’s also very important to get used to a set bedtime. This helps reduce fatigue and certain issues related to pregnancy.
Fatigue During Pregnancy
The excitement and desire to have a baby, as well as the fears of motherhood, can be stressful. They can make future moms feel more tired than normal. All of this affects their quality of sleep. Therefore, sleeping a lot during pregnancy is normal.
When women become pregnant, one of their first symptoms is usually fatigue. In fact, they usually need more sleep, depending on their stage of pregnancy.
During the first trimester, pregnant women may want to sleep more than usual. This is because they have higher levels of progesterone. It helps the placenta grow and supports the increased nutrient demand of the developing fetus. After the first quarter, they should get some energy back.
Fortunately, sleep usually improves in the second trimester. Women can often rest better by sleeping on their left side. It also helps when they do moderate exercise, just not too close to bedtime.
As pregnancy progresses in their third trimester, future mothers start to feel tired again. This might be from the physical exhaustion caused by the growing baby and its stress on the mother.
Sleeping a Lot During Pregnancy – Is It Normal?
Generally, sleeping a lot during pregnancy is normal. As we mentioned earlier, many women need more rest. It’s commonly from fatigue and nervousness, among other things.
Also, if you sleep a lot throughout the whole pregnancy, don’t worry. Being pregnant means taking care of yourself. This includes your diet, healthy habits, physical activity, etc.
It also includes sleeping a lot. Listen to your body and rest more than usual if you feel tired. Especially during the first trimester, your body needs to adapt to the energy and calories that the baby takes in while he or she is developing.
We recommend that you ask your partner if he notices anything abnormal about your sleep. For example, see if he notices snoring or sleeplessness. In that case, you should go to the doctor to talk about anything that isn’t normal, so he or she can help you figure out the best treatment.
“Pregnant women need more rest. They can’t continue with the same amount of sleep they got before becoming pregnant.”
Tips for Sleeping a Lot during Pregnancy
During the first and last phase of pregnancy, you’ll feel tired and sleep a lot. Although, some nights you’ll have trouble sleeping.
If you have trouble sleeping, we recommend trying out some of these tips. They’ll surely help you get a better night’s sleep:
- Relax with a hot bath at night.
- Don’t drink coffee or tea after 2:00 pm.
- Eat dinner at least 2 hours before going to bed.
- Take care of what you need before going to bed.
- Find a comfortable position. We recommend sleeping on your left side.
- Exercise to benefit your mental and physical health.
- Practice relaxation techniques.
- Establish schedules and routines.
Finally, remember that sleeping a lot is something not all pregnant women can do. For some, sleeping 8 to 10 hours per night is very difficult as they go through this special stage of life.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Pourjavad, M; Mansoori, A. Study of fatigue in working pregnant women. Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Volume 17. Number 1. Spring 1382 May 2003. [Online] Avaiable at: http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/article-1-720-en.pdf
- Pregnancy and sleep. Sleep Health Foundation. [Online] Avaiable at: https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/pdfs/Pregnancy-and-Sleep.pdf
- Pien, Grace & J Schwab, Richard. (2004). Sleep Disorders During Pregnancy. Sleep. 27. 1405-17. 10.1093/sleep/27.7.1405.