Insomnia During Pregnancy

Insomnia is never a good thing, but when a woman is in the early stages of pregnancy, insomnia can make for long nights and tired days. In a recent poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), 78 percent of women reported more disturbed sleep during pregnancy than at other times. Sleep-related problems also became more prevalent as the women's pregnancies progressed.

Dr. Jill Powell, assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health at St. Louis University School of Medicine, says she finds most sleep disturbances follow the pattern found in the NSF's poll. In other words, sleep problems can develop early on but usually aren't too bad and abate as the pregnancy progresses. Later, other issues can cause insomnia to reoccur.

In the first trimester, insomnia is relatively common and is caused by the hormonal changes of pregnancy. Dr. Powell says there are a couple of reasons for this. "Early in pregnancy women tend to feel very fatigued because of what I call the progesterone phenomenon," says Dr. Powell. "Progesterone is a natural sedative, and a woman may be so tired she has this sensation of not being able to keep her eyes open. She may react by napping during the day or falling asleep on the couch after work. This then gets her out of her normal sleep patterns."

The result is she may not be able to fall asleep that night, which then just sets in place a vicious cycle of exhaustion. To avoid this, Dr. Powell suggests trying to avoid long naps during the day. Try taking a walk or finding some other activity instead of sleeping. Go to bed at the same time every night; even if it's earlier than your "normal" pre-pregnancy schedule to get some extra sleep.

In addition to hormonal changes, Dr. Powell notes there is often a lot of anxiety in the first trimester. A woman may have concerns about her health or the baby's health and may worry about miscarriage. There may even be more specific reasons for anxiety, such as financial worries if the pregnancy was unplanned. For this type of emotion-related insomnia, Dr. Powell suggests trying to find someone to talk to who may help ease your worries, such as a friend, clergyman or your doctor.

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