10 ways to beat pregnancy insomnia
Pregnancy insomnia is the worst! I struggled with it all through my pregnancy and found a few tools that really helped ease it and the effects of it. So today I wanted to share these tools with you in the hope that, if you’re struggling too, they may offer you the same relief they gave me.
10 ways to beat pregnancy insomnia
Fresh air, every day
There’s a reason that “forest bathing” is a legitimate thing. The negative ions in the ground, running water and fresh air have a soothing effect on our nervous systems and have been proven to reduce stress and help you relax. So take a gentle walk each day, no more than 15/20 minutes in the final weeks of your pregnancy, as a first and important step to help you combat pregnancy insomnia.
Take a hypnobirthing course
So often, pregnancy insomnia is linked to anxiety around birth and becoming a new mom. Sometimes we don’t even realize how anxious we are about it; it’s a low key anxiety that flies below the radar - a stressor that you’ve just become so used to living with that it feels normal and you barely notice it’s there. It’s almost always there. A hypnobirthing course was a key part of managing my anxiety when I was pregnant - read my review here. I especially liked this course because it was online, so I actually did some of the important (to me) sections three times!
A good sleep playlist
Play white noise, soothing music, or anything that helps you drift off a bit more easily. I still will listen to rainfall white noise or play a relaxing playlist to help sooth me to sleep whenever I’m having trouble.
Listen to a Yoga Nidra meditation in the evenings
In the final weeks of my pregnancy I was meditating like crazy - I had to. For my sanity! I love this guided Yoga Nidra from my friend Pip; she has such a lovely soothing voice.
Gentle yoga every day
Yoga during pregnancy is not only great to help you deal with pregnancy insomnia, it’ll prepare your body for the physical event of birth and get you in a better place for postpartum healing. Click here to read more about my Bump&Flow prenatal yoga program and get started with a free YouTube video.
Maximize comfort
One of the most obvious enemies of sleep is comfort, and getting comfortable when you’re pregnant is extra hard. Watch this video on Instagram to make sure I’m you’re as comfortable as you can be when you sleep. I also want to take this opportunity to tell you about a company I love that is also a huge supporter of quality sleep and they know how important it is for our wellbeing - click here to check out the range of pillows, including a U-shaped pregnancy pillow from Kally Sleep.
Screens off
Opt for happy books instead. Screens off is an obvious one - we all know that blue light from our devices messes with our circadian rhythm. But it’s also important to think about what you’re consuming before bed - stressful conversations and even scary or stressful books can contribute to pregnancy insomnia.
Be selfish about your time
Stop letting friends talk you into staying up late or going to events that leave you wired and overtired. If ever there was a time so start saying NO, it’s now.
If you can’t sleep, rest.
If all else fails, don’t give up on rest. It’s still really important for your body to have some downtime during pregnancy. So instead of getting up and switching on your computer or going to the gym or whatever what is you feel like you “should” do with this “wasted time” don’t. Switch on a guided meditation and just enjoy the rest as best you can.
This too shall pass
I end all my blog posts related to pregnancy and early motherhood with this one phrase. Because it’s so important to, not only know, but to understand and accept very deeply.
I hope this helps you with your pregnancy insomnia. Leave a comment or drop onto Instagram and let me know.
Kat xx
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