How Do I Get Better Sleep During Pregnancy?
Constantly tossing and turning in bed as your belly grows? Getting a good night's sleep can be challenging when nothing feels comfy, but placing pillows under your hips, bump, and back can help you sleep better during pregnancy.
It's no secret rest is essential for you and baby. Research even links poor sleep to an increased risk of pregnancy complications like preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. But before propping yourself up like the princess and the pea, let’s talk sleep position. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends sleeping on your side with your knees bent. This position helps prevent your growing uterus from putting pressure on the inferior vena cava—a vein that carries blood to you and baby. But, side sleeping can make it tough to align your spine and support the weight of your belly. Pillows to the rescue!
Support Your Bump With A Wedge Pillow
While a full-body pregnancy pillow can help support your growing bump, we love a slimmer wedge pillow that supports without the bulk. Placing a wedge pillow underneath your bump supports the weight of your growing belly and aligns your spine and hips. The result: belly support and no lower back pain! Lower back pain during pregnancy typically starts in the second half of pregnancy, thanks to hormonal or postural changes. This simple change in spine alignment makes all the difference.
TIP: If you struggle to stay on your side and keep rolling onto your back, place a wedge pillow under your lower back. You can also position a wedge pillow under your hips bones for added cushion.
Place a rolled towel above your hips
Roll up a hand towel and place it above your hips for additional lower back support. This placement helps keep the back aligned, especially in women with wider hips. A rolled towel also helps alleviate pressure on your hips.
Ease achy hips with a 3/4 roll and pillow under your back
Side sleeping puts a lot of pressure on your hip bone, making your hips feel achy and sore. A 3/4 roll and pillow under your back helps align your spine and takes unwanted pressure off your hip bone. To help relieve achy hips:
Take a regular old pillow and tuck it right behind your spine.
Position your hips so you're not directly on your hip bone by rolling 3/4 of the way back or a little forward.
Make sure you're keeping your knees together.
TIP: Not making your hips mad during the day also improves your nighttime Zzz's. Try this:
Avoid too much hip hiking: Don't drop all your weight into one side when standing.
Do a booty scoot when you sit: Lean your chest forward and push your butt back as you sit.
Create a large hip crest: When you sit, place your hand underneath your butt and reach out and back at a diagonal, making your butt wider.
Put a pillow between your legs
Adding another pillow between your legs helps prevent hip hiking and aligns the hips. With your knees bent, place a pillow from the crotch to the knees. Your spine and pelvis should be in a neutral position. Placing a pillow between your knees is especially helpful if you deal with sciatica pain or symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), also called pelvic girdle pain.
Place a pillow around your neck
Side sleeping can make your head sink into the mattress and misalign your spine, triggering neck pain and stiffness. You may also find your favorite fluffy pillow elevates your head and neck too much. Wrap a pillow around your neck to help improve alignment and decrease neck discomfort. You can also opt to place a small cylindrical pillow (like a lumbar pillow) in the crook of your neck.
Don’t overcomplicate your sleep system
You don’t need an elaborate pillow setup to get comfortable. You can arrange a wedge pillow, rolled-up towel, and any additional bed pillows in about 10 seconds. It’s also very normal for our bodies to move in order to change pressure as we sleep. Don’t worry if you wake up on your back or your perfect pillow setup gets messed up. You can quickly reset your pillows and get back to sleep.
Save the photo below for reference!
SOURCES
MedlinePlus. (2022). Problems Sleeping During Pregnancy. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000559.htm
Gooley JJ, et al. (2017). The Role of Sleep Duration and Sleep Disordered Breathing in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451994417300263
Williams MA, et al. (2010). Associations of Early Pregnancy Sleep Duration with Trimester-Specific Blood Pressures and Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy. https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/33/10/1363/2454585
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2023). Back Pain During Pregnancy. https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/back-pain-during-pregnancy
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2021). Can I Sleep On My Back When I'm Pregnant? https://www.acog.org/womens-health/experts-and-stories/ask-acog/can-i-sleep-on-my-back-when-im-pregnant