Sleep Problems During Pregnancy

It's after midnight, an hour past your scheduled bedtime, and you're still fighting to find a comfortable position to sleep. If the backaches weren't enough, the pain of heartburn has also set in. If you could just get to sleep... Then again, after you finally doze off, it will probably be only a few hours before you'll have to roll out of bed for your first of many nighttime trips to the bathroom.

The nine months of pregnancy are full of physical changes that affect every aspect of your daily life. And the changes aren't just reserved for the waking hours. Sleep profoundly changes during pregnancy. In fact, according to the National Sleep Foundation's "Women and Sleep" poll, almost 80 percent of pregnant women surveyed complained of sleep disruptions.

Here we answer 10 of the most common sleep-related questions. You might not be able to sleep like a baby, but with help, you might sleep a little easier.

"Going to the bathroom seems to be the No. 1 complaint of pregnant women related to sleep," says Dr. Meir Kryger, author of A Woman's Guide to Sleep Disorders (McGraw-Hill, 2004) and past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.