Easy sleep for Mommies-to-be

What are sleep problems during pregnancy and how to sleep comfortably for pregnant women?When you become pregnant, your sleep will change significantly due to various changes in your body. For pregnant women who have a baby in their stomach, how to sleep is a concern. This time, we will explain the recommended sleeping styles for pregnant women, the sleeping styles that should be noted, and the effects on babies. If you are pregnant and are worried that you cannot sleep well, please read it to the end.Not just sleepy, sleep troubles during pregnancyWhen you become pregnant, you may suffer from various sleep problems such as hypersomnia, which makes you feel very sleepy due to changes in hormone balance, a large abdomen, and various changes in your body, and insomnia, when you are sleepy but cannot sleep. I will. Let's take a concrete look at what happens.I can't help being sleepy due to changes in hormonal balanceIn the early stages of pregnancy, the birth of a baby causes a large amount of the female hormone "progesterone" to be secreted. This secretion of progesterone makes you sleepy and sleepy. It is important to sleep even a little because it is an important hormone for raising a baby.Not only eating "morning sickness", but sleeping "morning sickness"The types of morning sickness that you often hear are "eating sickness" and "vomiting sickness", but there is also "sleeping sickness". Sleeping is a period of intense drowsiness all day long. The problem is that drowsiness causes you to lose motivation.On the contrary, you may not be able to sleep during pregnancy.I have a strong image of being sleepy during pregnancy, but on the contrary, I may not be able to sleep. After the middle of pregnancy, unlike the early stage, a lot of "estrogen" that makes drowsiness lighter is secreted, so drowsiness becomes lighter.Also, in late pregnancy, the abdomen grows larger and sometimes awakens with "leg cramps" due to lack of blood flow to the legs.Sleeping style that changes depending on the time of pregnancyThe way you sleep depends on your pregnancy, but what kind of sleep is better?Early pregnancy (until about 4 months of pregnancy)In the early stages of pregnancy, the sleeping environment changes drastically, such as "I'm sleepy" or "I can't sleep". This is one of the phenomena that occurs when the body changes rapidly due to pregnancy. In the early stages of pregnancy, the hormone balance changes significantly in addition to physical changes such as "enlarging the uterus", "raising body temperature", "creating a placenta", and "increasing blood volume to send nutrition" for the baby in the stomach. Therefore, sleep troubles increase. In addition, many pregnant women cannot sleep because of morning sickness. In such a case, it will be easier to sleep with your upper body slightly raised. In the early stages of pregnancy, you feel a strong drowsiness as one of the defense reactions to sudden changes in your body, so it is important to rest your body in a position that is comfortable for you.Mid-pregnancy (around 5-7 months pregnant)In the middle of pregnancy, which is the stable period, morning sickness subsides and the stomach grows bigger and bigger. At this time of year, you may feel anxious about lying down, considering the pressure on your abdomen and the effect on your baby. As a result, people who normally sleep “face down” will feel uncomfortable with how they sleep. In such a case, it is recommended to try using a pillow. In addition, it is said that it is better to break down human weight evenly and sleep on "face up", which causes less distortion of the body, but in the middle of pregnancy, you will feel pain depending on how you sleep. It is important to make good use of cushions and pillows to find a way to sleep that you find comfortable.Late pregnancy (after 8 months of pregnancy)In late pregnancy, when the abdomen becomes quite large, the enlarged uterus begins to press on the surrounding organs and blood vessels. Therefore, if you sleep “face up” during this period, the uterus may press on the vena cava aneurysm on the right side of the spine, causing hypotension. This condition is called "Supine hypotension symptoms", and it may cause fainting due to suffocation and stunned consciousness. Also, if this condition persists for a long time, the amount of blood sent to the baby will decrease, which may result in insufficient oxygen and nutrition. Therefore, it is important to change your posture as soon as you feel suffocating or motivated by sleeping on the “face up”. In late pregnancy, sleeping on “face up” is more likely to cause leg cramps.Recommended sleeping style for pregnant women (Sims' position)The important thing about sleeping during pregnancy is to sleep in a comfortable position for yourself, but if you feel that it is painful no matter how you sleep, you should use the Sims position, which is less burdensome to your body. You should give it a try. Sims' position is a sleeping style that many pregnant women use to make their body easier and mentally relaxed during pregnancy. The basic way to sleep in the Sims position is to lie sideways with your left side down. At that time, straighten the lower left foot and bend the upper right foot from the base of the foot. At that time, the knee of the right leg will also be bent and the posture will be placed on the surface of the bed. At this time, it is a good idea to pull the lower left arm slightly backward and bend it lightly. It is said that the Sims position, in which the upper body is almost “face down”, relaxes the body and makes it easier to relax, but some pregnant women may feel pain due to pressure on their abdomen. In such a case, it will be easier to adjust the height by putting a cushion or a pillow between the bent right leg and the bed to reduce the pressure on the abdomen. Arms and face should be oriented so that they feel comfortable naturally.Precautions when sleeping in "Sims' position"We recommend the Sims position, where you turn your body sideways when you are hungry, but what you should pay attention to here is the direction you sleep. If you are in the Sims position, where you sleep sideways, close to “face down”, be sure to put your left side down. The human body has a vena cava in the lower right of the uterus centered on the spine, and an aorta in the lower left. The arteries do not block the flow of blood when a heavy uterus rides on them, but the soft veins are compressed by the weight of the uterus, blocking blood flow and can cause aortocaval compression syndrome. Therefore, it is important to keep the left side down when taking the Sims position.Get a relaxing time with your babySo far, we have introduced how to sleep according to the time of pregnancy. When a baby is born, it becomes difficult to get enough sleep due to breastfeeding and crying at night, so you want to sleep when you can sleep as much as possible during pregnancy. Please try the sleeping style introduced this time.