I sleep like a mummy. Not even kidding, flat on my back, arms crossed over my stomach.
I also sleep on my stomach and occasionally on both sides, and move around a lot through the night, but 99.99% of the time I wake up sleeping like a mummy.
I heard that there are optimal sleeping positions while pregnant so I thought I would look more into it. Apparently, you should sleep on your side – left side to be specific. This also is supposed to help with digestion which I have awful issues with so bonus!
From what I have read, the reasons for sleeping on your left side are:
- Optimal blood flow from the inferior vena cava (IVC), which is a large vein that runs parallel to your spine on the right side. It carries blood to your heart and, in turn, to your baby.
- It takes the pressure off your liver and your kidneys. This can help with swelling issues in your hands, ankles, and feet.
They say it is fine to sleep in any position in the first trimester but side sleeping becomes more important in the second and third. I know I have a ways to go to get to that point but I figure might as well try to get used to left-side sleeping now and if it improves digestion then that is a huge plus and a reason to sleep that way regardless of #ttc!
The concern with back sleeping is that it can cause problems with backaches, breathing, the digestive system, low blood pressure and cause a decrease in circulation to your heart and baby.
This is a result of your abdomen resting on your intestines and major blood vessels (the aorta and vena cava). I read that this is likely only if you sleep the whole night on your back and again, only something that becomes an issue in the second trimester. Considering I wake up a minimum of once per night to pee currently, I can only imagine this will increase once preggers so at least this will change my position if I do find myself on my back.
I have also read that wedging a pillow behind you can stop you from rolling onto your back. I might need to try this because man oh man this is hard! I know that I have quite a ways to go before this becomes an issue but the past few nights I have tried to fall asleep on my left side but I must be subconsciously thinking about it because I keep waking up multiple times in the night flat on my back, and anxious because of it!
So my sleep has been worse because I am trying to stop myself from sleeping on my back…not ideal. I hope this will get better with time. Note: I also have not noticed any digestive improvements yet but this could be because a) I have not done it long enough b) I am not actually sleeping on my left side for much of the night and/or c) I always notice that my digestion is worse when my sleep is poor … and waking up multiple times stressed because I am on my back does not help!
Goodness gracious I didn’t expect this to be such a challenge!
Happy sleeping.