Common Sleep Challenges for Pregnant Women
A woman’s body goes through many incredible changes when she becomes pregnant and many of those are surprising the first time you experience them. Many women are shocked to experience the many different and uncomfortable side-effects of going through pregnancy. Many people joke about not sleeping after the child is born, but pregnancy brings its own host of sleeping issues. Usually women expect to be uncomfortable by trying to sleep with a growing belly, but there can be many other unexpected nighttime issues.
Sudden leg and calf cramps: Many women suffer from unexpected nighttime leg cramps. Leg muscle cramps may strike at any time during the pregnancy, but they are most commonly experienced in the third trimester of pregnancy. Changes in nutritional needs, dehydration and the quick weight gain of becoming pregnant may often be reasons for charley horses. There are many cures for charley horses, but be sure to ask your primary care professional before using them.
Constipation issues: The intestines and other bodily organs are being squeezed together to make room for the growing baby and that tightness often affects the digestive organs the most. It is no surprise that many women should have issues with digestion during pregnancy. Pregnant women may not always be able to get much relief from digestion problems because some medications designed to relieve these symptoms are not pregnancy safe. Many women also take special vitamins when they find out they are expecting. These vitamins often include high doses of iron which can help a developing baby but can also cause uncomfortable constipation. Drinking a lot of fluid and eating a lot of fiber can help this condition.
Mood swings and irritability: Obviously, a women’s body undergoes a lot of hormonal changes during the nine months that she is expecting. Many women find themselves to be fatigued when they weren’t normally tired, craving food they don’t normally like and generally feeling uneasy and uncomfortable during the later months of pregnancy. These feelings often make falling to sleep much more difficult.
Frequent urination issues: Nearly all expecting women experience a growing need to urinate much more frequently than they are used to. There is some debate over how much pregnancy causes to adult bed wetting.Pressure against the urinary system and added pressure on the kidneys may cause some women to urinate three to five times each night. Many pregnant women suffer through one or more random nighttime bed wetting episodes during their pregnancy.
Different sleep problems will come and go during the course of a pregnancy, and not all women suffer from the same sleep challenges. Pregnant women should be forewarned about sleep difficulties by their doctors in advance. Some doctors advise expectant women to sleep with pillows around them for convenience and to sleep on their left side to help avoid some of these sleep issues.
For many women being pregnant is a wonderful time, but it’s also important to pay special attention to your health. Speak regularly with your doctor if you have any of the above medical issues. There is help available for women and men who suffer from any of these temporary maladies.
Pregnancy is just one of the many causes of night time leg cramps. If you suffer from restless leg syndrome or leg cramps at night then you may want to visit our site to read about the possible causes and cures for your night time leg spasms.
