When do you start sleeping on your side during pregnancy
Sleep during pregnancy | Pregnancy Birth and Baby
Sleep during pregnancy | Pregnancy Birth and Baby beginning of content7-minute read
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How much sleep do I need when I am pregnant?
When you’re pregnant, you need more sleep than usual. However, your sleep isn’t as deep and refreshing as usual while pregnant. You’ll wake more often throughout the night. You need to sleep as much as you can.
But, getting more sleep isn't always easy. It can be especially difficult if you have work, other children, or other responsibilities. To get enough rest, it can help to:
- have a daytime nap
- rest as much as you can during the day
- go for a walk in the late afternoon or early evening
- avoid tea and coffee before bedtime
- relax before bed by taking a bath, reading, listening to music, watching TV, or having a backrub
- go to bed earlier than usual
How do I sleep safely during pregnancy?
When you’re pregnant, and as your baby grows, sleep can become a problem. But it’s important to be well-rested, so you are ready for your baby’s arrival.
The position that you sleep in is also important for your baby’s health.
From 28 weeks until your baby is born, be sure to sleep on your side. Whether you are taking a quick nap on the couch or going to bed at night, sleeping on your side is best.
Lying on your back puts pressure on major blood vessels. This can reduce the flow of blood to your uterus, and restrict your baby’s oxygen supply. This can affect their heart rate. Research suggests that this causes a higher risk of stillbirth.
Stillbirth can occur from many different factors, some which can’t be controlled. But research shows that sleeping on your side can reduce the risk of stillbirth by half.
You can sleep on your left or right side. To make sleeping on your side easier and more comfortable, bend your knees. Then, put a pillow between them. You can also put a pillow under your belly for support.
Usually, the position you fall asleep in is the position you will stay in overnight. However, movement in sleep is normal. If you wake and find you’ve been asleep on your back, turn onto your side. If it happens a lot, put a pillow behind your back to make rolling on to your back more difficult.
What problems might I have when sleeping during pregnancy?
From the first trimester of pregnancy you may experience:
- temperature changes
- morning sickness
- the need to pass urine more often
- leg cramps and lower back aches
- nightmares and more frequent dreams
- congestion
- snoring
- indigestion
These troubles can disturb your sleep and may vary throughout your pregnancy. Because of this, the main challenge you may experience is tiredness. There are ways to manage these things, to help you sleep better.
Morning sickness
The nausea that comes with morning sickness may keep you awake. You can reduce this nausea by keeping full. During the day, eat bland snacks such as crackers.
Frequent urination
Going to the toilet more often during pregnancy is normal.
The baby can press on your bladder. And hormones in the late stages of pregnancy can relax your pelvic floor. Pelvic floor exercises will help you manage any 'leaks'. They will also help you to avoid continence problems in years to come.
Keep hydrated during the day, but don’t drink too much before bed.
The frequency of your need to pass urine at night might increase as your pregnancy progresses.
However, if it hurts to pass urine, talk to your doctor.
Leg cramps
Leg cramps can also disrupt your sleep. It’s not really understood why leg cramps happen. But, there are a number of things you can do to ease them, such as:
- stretching your calf muscles
- being active during the day
- drinking plenty of fluids
Back pain
You might find your back aches more at night. If you can, try to avoid heavy lifting, housework, and long periods of standing. Rest during the day with your legs up if you can.
Disruptive dreams
Some women have more dreams than they would normally. They may also have unusual dreams or nightmares. Sometimes it can be related to stress, or it could be due to inconsistent sleep.
Try to stick to a regular schedule and maybe try different sleep positions or use a pregnancy pillow. If you are having dreams that are disturbing you, it can help to:
- talk to your partner or a friend
- consider seeing a counsellor
Congestion and snoring
Due to hormonal changes as your pregnancy progresses, you may get a blocked nose and feel stuffed up. Saline nasal sprays can help.
Some people start to snore for the first time in their lives while pregnant. Keeping a healthy diet and not putting on too much weight can help ease this.
You might find it comfortable to sleep with your head raised. You can use pillows for support or raise the head of your bed slightly. This can reduce your snoring.
Indigestion
Heartburn is common in pregnancy. This is because your growing baby can press on your organs, leading to reflux. This can keep you from resting.
Sleeping with your head raised and supported by pillows can also help ease the pain. Try to also avoid overeating, and foods that are:
- spicy
- acidic
- fried
See your doctor if heartburn is causing you severe discomfort, or if you have other symptoms such as:
- swelling of your hands, feet, or face
- headache
- distorted vision
Are there any sleep aids that might help?
A pregnancy pillow might help you get comfortable. They come in many different shapes and sizes. You should be able to find one that suits you.
Generally, pregnant women are advised not to take sleeping tablets.
Who can I talk to for advice and support?
Whether you are experiencing common pregnancy problems or more serious sleep disorders, anxiety or depression, you can get support from a range of professionals and services. These include:
- your midwife or obstetrician
- your doctor
- Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
Speak to a maternal child health nurse
Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.
Sources:
Sleep Health Foundation (Pregnancy and Sleep), Red Nose (Sleep and rest in pregnancy), The Royal Women's Hospital (Common concerns in early pregnancy), The Journal of Physiology (An investigation of fetal behavioural states during maternal sleep in healthy late gestation pregnancy: an observational study), Lancet (Maternal Going to Sleep Position and Late Stillbirth: Time to Act but With Care)Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.
Last reviewed: July 2022
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Sleep position in pregnancy Q&A
Tommy's PregnancyHub
In the third trimester of pregnancy going to sleep on your side has been shown to help prevent stillbirth.
In the third trimester our advice is to go sleep on your side because research has shown that this is safer for baby. This includes night sleep and day time naps.
Can I sleep on my back during pregnancy?
Research has shown that in the third trimester (after 28 weeks of pregnancy) going to sleep on your back increases your risk of stillbirth. As the link has now been shown in four separate research trials, our advice is to go to sleep on your side in the third trimester because it is safer for your baby. The advice relates to any episode of sleep, including:
- going to sleep at night
- returning to sleep after any night wakenings
- day time naps.
We don’t want you to become anxious about this. If your pregnancy is uncomplicated your risk of stillbirth is low (1 in 200 babies are stillborn). Going to sleep on your side will make it even lower.
How reliable is the research?
The research linking going to sleep on your back to stillbirth is very reliable. Four case control research studies (in which information from women who have had a stillbirth is compared with information from women who have not) have been carried out into maternal sleep position and stillbirth and all have shown that there is a link.
What if I wake up on my back during the night?
The research has been focused on position going to sleep, not position during the night. If you wake up on your back, just settle back to sleep on your side.
We cannot control our position when we are asleep and a large bump is likely to be uncomfortable enough to prevent you from being on your back for long during the night. We also know that the position we go to sleep in is the position we spend the longest amount of time in during the night.
What could cause the increased risk of stillbirth?
Sleep position in the third trimester is important because if you are on your back the combined weight of baby and womb puts pressure on other organs in your body.
Researchers do not know for certain what exactly is causing the increased risk of stillbirth, but we already know the following, which could play a part :
- When sleeping/lying on your back the baby and womb put pressure on the main blood vessels that supply the uterus and this can restrict blood flow/oxygen to the baby.
- Further recent studies have shown that when a woman lies on her back in late pregnancy (compared to lying on side) the baby is less active and has changes in heart-rate patterns. This is thought to be due to lower oxygen levels in the baby when the mother lies on her back.
Does it make a difference which side I sleep on in pregnancy?
There are many websites that tell you that the left side is best to sleep on during pregnancy. This is for the following reasons:
- One of the smaller research studies, from Auckland, New Zealand, showed that women who sleep on their left side on the last night of pregnancy halved their risk of stillbirth compared to those who slept on their right. However, the same finding has not been seen in any other trial (there have been three other published research studies since then).
- Sleeping on your left has been shown to help your kidneys to get rid of waste products and fluids from your body.
Therefore, while sleeping on your left side has not conclusively been shown to reduce your risk against sleeping on your right, there are reasons that you might choose to do so.
Tips for sleeping on your side in pregnancy
- Put pillows behind you to prevent falling on your back. It won’t prevent you being on your back for certain but is likely to make it more uncomfortable.
- If you have long hair, try tying it in a low bun, which may make it uncomfortable to sleep on your back for any length of time.
- If you wake up for any reason during the night, check your position and go back to sleep on your side.
- If you are likely to nap during the day pay the same attention to sleep position during the day as you would during the night.
If you're finding sleeping on your side difficult because of SPD/PGP, try these tips.
In the early days of pregnancy it is fine to sleep on your stomach. Your bump will not start showing until the second trimester and sleeping on your stomach is unlikely to be uncomfortable. In the third trimester, you will have a large bump and it is very unlikely that you would choose this position. However, if you do wake up on your stomach, don’t worry, just roll onto your side.
Heazell AEP, Li M, Budd J, Thompson JMD, Stacey T, Cronin RS, Martin B, Roberts D, Mitchell EA, McCowan LME. Association between maternal sleep practices and late stillbirth – findings from a stillbirth case-control study. BJOG2017; https://doi. org/10.1111/1471-0528.14967.
Stacey T1, Thompson JM, Mitchell EA, Ekeroma AJ, Zuccollo JM, McCowan LM.
Association between maternal sleep practices and risk of late stillbirth: a case-control study. BMJ. 2011 Jun 14;342:d3403. doi: 10.1136/bmj.d3403.
Gordon A1, Raynes-Greenow C, Bond D, Morris J, Rawlinson W, Jeffery H. Sleep position, fetal growth restriction, and late-pregnancy stillbirth: the Sydney stillbirth study. Obstet Gynecol. 2015 Feb;125(2):347-55. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000000627.
Lesley ME, McCowan LME, Thompson JMD, Cronin RS et al (2017) Going to sleep in the supine position is a modifiable risk factor for late pregnancy stillbirth; Findings from the New Zealand multicentre stillbirth case-control study. PLOS One https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0179396
Jeffreys RM, Stepanchak W, Lopez B, Hardis J, Clapp JF, 3rd. Uterine blood flow during supine rest and exercise after 28 weeks of gestation. BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology. 2006 Nov;113(11):1239-47
Khatib N, Weiner Z, Beloosesky R, Vitner D, Thaler I. The effect of maternal supine position on umbilical and cerebral blood flow indices. European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology. 2014 Apr;175:112-4.
Stone PR, Burgess W, McIntyre JP, Gunn AJ, Lear CA, Bennet L, et al. Effect of maternal position on fetal behavioural state and heart rate variability in healthy late gestation pregnancy. The Journal of Physiology. 2017 Feb 15;595(4):1213-21.
Murray I, Hassall J. 2014. Change and adaptation in pregnancy. In: Marshall J, Raynor M. eds. Myles Textbook for Midwives. 16th ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 143-177
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How to sleep during pregnancy
It is difficult to overestimate the role of sleep in the life of every person. A complete healthy rest allows you to fully restore the functioning of the nervous system, relieve stress, improve performance and increase activity. Chronic sleep deprivation is the cause of many diseases. What can we say about a woman who is at the stage of bearing a baby. During this period, more than ever, she needs a healthy, long and full sleep. However, unfortunately, it is during this period that one can only dream of a restful sleep. nine0003
As soon as a woman finds out about her new position, she has to give up a lot for the sake of the health of her unborn baby. And you need to give up not only bad habits: alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, but also from a comfortable sleep.
The cause of insomnia can be :
- Anxiety;
- Frequent urination;
- Fears and phobias before a new stage of one's life;
- Nervousness and irritability;
- Digestive disorder; nine0012
- Toxicosis;
- Physical indisposition;
- Uncomfortable posture.
During the period of bearing a child, the female body experiences an extraordinary load, especially in the last trimester. The need for more sleep increases, because the body expends much more energy. Therefore, healthy sleep and pregnancy are inextricably linked.
As soon as a woman finds out about her new position, she has to give up a lot for the sake of the health of her unborn baby. And you need to give up not only bad habits: alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, but also from a comfortable sleep. nine0003
Let's try to figure out how to sleep during pregnancy, so as not only not to harm the health of your unborn baby, but to sleep well.
Looking for a comfortable sleeping position
Each person has his own favorite position, in which it is easy to fall asleep and sleep. Many do not imagine a comfortable rest on their backs, accustomed to sleeping on their stomachs. This habit will have to be sacrificed, as it is unsafe for the normal development of the fetus. If in the first three months of pregnancy a woman can still sleep in the position in which she is used to and feels comfortable, then after the first trimester the growing belly will not allow her to lie safely in this position. Despite the natural protection of the baby in the form of amniotic fluid, there is a high probability of injuring the baby in a dream, squeezing it. But what is the right way to sleep during pregnancy? nine0003
Back position
Even if you are used to sleeping in a Spartan position, on your back, with your arms spread wide, from the 28th week you will have to radically change your lifestyle. The fact is that as the fetus grows, the load on the intestines and vena cava will increase significantly, blocking the access of oxygen to the baby.
As soon as a woman finds out about her new position, she has to give up a lot for the sake of the health of her unborn baby. And you need to give up not only bad habits: alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, but also from a comfortable sleep. nine0003
If you sleep on your back during pregnancy, you may experience the following problems:
- Dizziness;
- Nausea;
- Convulsions;
- Numb limbs;
- Pressure reduction;
- Hemorrhoids;
- Heaviness of breathing.
If you feel these symptoms or the baby gives persistent signals, you need to urgently change your position, so squeezing the vena cava is fraught not only with poor health for the mother, but also with a lack of oxygen supply to the fetus. nine0003
Stomach position
One of the most beloved positions for many people, which allows you to quickly fall asleep while hugging a pillow. Many women, as soon as they find out about the change in their lives, are interested in the question, is it possible to sleep on your stomach during pregnancy? Doctors recommend abandoning this position already in the first weeks, even before the enlarged belly makes it impossible to fall asleep peacefully.
If you are afraid during sleep, without controlling your movements, to arbitrarily roll over on your stomach, you can put a large pillow that does not allow you to change position. nine0003
Side position
In order to normalize your sleep and not harm the health of the baby, experts recommend sleeping on your side during pregnancy. And if at first this option seems unacceptable to many, after the second trimester, lying on your side is the only possible one. But here the question arises, on which side to sleep in order to ensure the safety of the fetus?
Sleeping on the right side can cause squeezing of the kidney, which can have dire consequences. The ideal posture is lying on the left side. Thus, you not only do not injure the unborn baby, but also improve blood flow along with oxygen to the placenta. nine0003
But one should not ignore the individual characteristics of each organism and the position of the fetus in the uterus. When the baby is in a transverse position, choose the side where the baby's head is. And with a breech presentation, doctors recommend changing the position several times a night.
If you still cannot improve your sleep, you feel unwell and you are tormented by insomnia, then it is better to consult a specialist. A good gynecologist will analyze the situation and help solve the problem. If necessary, he will prescribe a safe sedative that stabilizes the emotional state and helps to fall asleep calmly, resting and restoring the nervous system in a dream. nine0003
Help pillow
Fortunately, now modern manufacturers help women survive the pregnancy period with great comfort by offering special pillows. They are made taking into account the physiological characteristics of a woman in this period and allow you to find a comfortable position for relaxation.
You can buy two pillows and put one under your stomach and the other under your knees, looking for your best option. And you can buy a long banana-shaped pillow, which allows you to throw your leg on it while sleeping, which improves well-being and relieves the main load from the lower back and abdomen. Already in the last weeks of pregnancy, when the growing belly does not allow you to breathe normally, the pillow will allow you to take a comfortable half-sitting position. nine0003
Remember that pregnancy is your opportunity to gain strength and fully relax before the most crucial period in your life. Childbirth and the first weeks of caring for your baby will require a lot of energy from you, so good luck and sound sleep!
On the back or on the side: how to sleep better during pregnancy
We talked with the Letidor portal about the changes that occur in a woman's body during pregnancy, and how you can help the body to safely survive these changes. Within the framework of one article, only a small part of this huge topic was touched upon. nine0093
Osteopathic pregnancy support is a powerful and effective aid to the health of the expectant mother and her baby. On our website in the "Motherhood" section, we talk about many problems a woman can avoid during pregnancy (even emotional ones!), how the help of an osteopath helps to facilitate the process of childbirth, avoid birth injuries, and recover after childbirth.
After all, there is still a dogma in obstetrics that even in the case of successful pregnancy and resolution of childbirth, a state of discomfort is the norm, and a woman, planning a pregnancy, should tune in to the fact that she will have to endure something. nine0093
This is a mistake! And we argue with this and prove the opposite to our patients.
Do you know which side a pregnant woman can sleep on? Our expert will tell you what position is considered optimal for the comfort and health of the expectant mother and baby.
During pregnancy, a significant restructuring of the body occurs - from a change in the vital activity of many systems to the formation of a completely new organ and circulatory system. Such changes are reflected in the lifestyle of a woman, affecting her nutrition and sleep. nine0003
It is the correct position during sleep that will be discussed today. Letidor turned to Evgeny Kishinevskiy, an osteopathic doctor at the Osteo+ Center for Complementary Technologies, to find out what changes in the body can affect the sleep of a future mother, whether it is possible to lie down on your back, what position during sleep is considered optimal and why.
How a woman's body changes
It is impossible to describe in one article those global changes that occur in the body of a future mother. The scale of these changes is amazing! Some organs or systems begin a new life (begin to function in a new way), others fall under the influence of the former. nine0003
The uterus enters the active phase, its size, density and shape change. The functioning of the hormonal, metabolic, immune systems is changing. As the body's need for oxygen increases, lung capacity increases. The load on the kidneys is changing. It is with changes in the digestive organs that attacks of early toxicosis are associated.
Local restructuring of the work of individual organs and systems affects the whole body:
- the growing uterus makes the kidneys move and can compress the urinary tract; nine0012
- the intestines and stomach move upward, squeezing the stomach leads to the reflux of its contents into the esophagus, causing heartburn;
- the diaphragm rises upward, thereby limiting the respiratory movements of the lungs.
But the most amazing changes during pregnancy occur in the circulatory system.
True, these changes are insignificant in the early stages.
The uterus increases in size and begins to press the inferior vena cava, into which veins flow, collecting blood from the lower extremities, walls and organs of the pelvis and abdominal cavity. nine0003
Compression of the inferior vena cava system leads to impaired venous outflow.
In fact, the deterioration of venous outflow during pregnancy is not a pathological condition, unless it is a question of a woman's genetic predisposition to varicose veins or the presence of varicose veins before pregnancy.
For prevention, expectant mothers are prescribed compression stockings, therapeutic exercises, swimming or the same therapeutic exercises in the pool, and only if necessary, drug therapy can be prescribed. nine0003
However, against the background of vascular clamping during pregnancy, there may be a violation of the lymphovenous outflow. Violation of the outflow of lymph and blood in the veins of the legs leads to an increase in intravascular pressure, the veins begin to stretch, deform, the liquid component of the blood begins to seep through the walls of the veins into the muscle tissue and subcutaneous tissue.
Superficially, this condition manifests itself in the form of protruding veins and edema.
Physiotherapeutic methods, osteopathic manipulations help to normalize this condition, massage and therapeutic exercises work very well. nine0003
Significance of the placenta
From the second half of pregnancy, a new organ, the placenta, is born in the uterus, with the help of which the child “communicates” with the outside world.
Waste products are removed through the placenta, and through it the baby receives oxygen, all the necessary nutrients, building materials.
Because of this, the volume of circulating blood in a woman increases by 30-50%.
The placenta has its own circulatory system (uteroplacental circulation). nine0003
This is a very important system for both the expectant mother and the child.
After all, due to a violation of the full-fledged uteroplacental blood flow (which can be triggered by intrauterine infections, premature aging of tissues, low presentation), the baby's brain suffers first of all, which does not receive oxygen from the blood and all the necessary nutrition. In the future, this may affect the cognitive development of the child.
In order for the increased blood volume to be able to actively circulate throughout the body, the mass of the heart muscle increases. nine0093
But the usefulness of the blood flow depends not only on the power of the heart "pump". Throughout the body, the unhindered movement of all bodily fluids must be ensured - tightness due to the growing uterus, displacement of the skeletal system, clamping, compaction and clamps should not interfere with this process.
How to sleep properly
A future mother can help her body distribute the load correctly. This is especially important to do during sleep, when the body needs to relax and gain strength. Here are a few rules that will help ensure proper blood circulation during sleep and avoid problems such as heartburn, swelling and leg cramps in a pregnant woman, as well as oxygen deficiency in the fetus. nine0003
During the first trimester, you can sleep in your usual position, even if your favorite position is on your stomach. But as soon as a woman finds out about pregnancy, it is better for her to gradually wean herself from this position and try to sleep on her side.
In addition, lying on the stomach or on the back can exacerbate the symptoms of toxicosis.
As the belly grows, choose the side position. Sleeping on your stomach in the second trimester is already absolutely impossible so that the fetus does not have an oxygen deficiency. During daytime sleep, you can nap on your back for a while, but gradually it is important to learn to sleep only on your side. nine0003
In the third trimester, as the uterus grows, doctors advise sleeping on the left side. This position redistributes the pressure on the anterior abdominal wall and helps to avoid excessive pressure of the uterus on the spine, inferior vena cava system, internal organs, blood will flow freely to the placenta, providing it with oxygen and components important for the fetus. In addition, the expectant mother will get up less often to go to the toilet, and it may be possible to avoid leg cramps.
For the prevention of heartburn in any trimester (and it occurs, as mentioned above, due to squeezing the stomach), the position during sleep on the left side is also preferable than on the right. nine0003
The upper part of the body should be smoothly raised - it is better to sleep on a uniform elevation.
In some situations, it is possible to sleep on the right side, for example, if a woman is diagnosed with a transverse or breech presentation. This can be established using ultrasound. In such cases, the obstetrician-gynecologist may recommend that the woman sleep on the side where the baby's head is turned.
If the expectant mother sleeps on her back, then this can cause several unpleasant problems at once:
- due to the fact that the uterus will compress the vena cava, the heart will begin to drive the blood with greater intensity, and because of this, heart rhythm disturbances may occur;
- back pain may occur;
- an enlarged uterus puts pressure on the blood vessels, which disrupts normal blood circulation, and this can lead to hypoxia (lack of oxygen) of the fetus and the appearance of swelling of the mother's legs;
- The uterus presses on the bladder and intestines, which increases the urge to urinate in a pregnant woman.
