Pregnant Moms Need Sleep!

Did you know that your quality of sleep before giving birth can impact your likelihood of developing postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder (PP-PTSD)? Sleep is a time for your body to repair and prepare. Our bodies need sleep in order to turn short-term memories into long-term memories, to engage in routine immune system upkeep, and it influences our emotional responses during the daytime.

This is hardly a surprise, as adolescents, we instinctively learn that if we don't sleep properly: we can't concentrate on schoolwork, we're moodier and more likely to argue with family or friends, and we tend to catch every cough and sniffle when we don't catch enough Z's. 

How much sleep do I need? 

Adults should get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep nightly, but pregnancy may require a pregnant woman to sleep more than that--particularly in the first trimester. This is due to changing hormones, the body working harder to grow a little human, as well as emotions that may be out of whack due to the hormones.

Why can't I sleep?

Many things make sleeping more difficult. For example, breast tenderness in the first trimester may make it more difficult for a mother who usually sleeps on her stomach. Mom may wakeup repeatedly without feeling rested. The second trimester tends to be the best trimester for sleep, but leg cramps and heartburn may start to keep you up at night. Certainly, by the third trimester, heartburn commonly pops up along with vampire babies who kick and prod you while you're trying to sleep. A large belly makes it more difficult to find a comfortable position... and a mom-to-be may just give up on sleep altogether.

What if I don't get enough sleep?

Sleep is something that should be protected during pregnancy as first-time-moms who get less than 6 hours of sleep a night are 4.5 - 5.2 times more likely to have a C-section, more likely to have a difficult labor, and those who birth vaginally have a 12-hour longer labor on average compared to a well-rested mom, and poorly-rested moms may give birth to an over- or under- weight baby. It is little wonder than, that mothers who don't get enough sleep frequently go on to develop PP-PTSD.

It is for this reason that it is vital you protect your sleep. Occupational therapists are trained in sleep hygiene and may be able to assist you should your OB/GYN refer you to one. Sleep well!

Lee, K. A., & Gay, C. L. (2004). Sleep in late pregnancy predicts length of labor and type of delivery. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 191(6), 2041-2046. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2004.05.086

Mayer, B. E. Sleep yourself resilient The role of pretraumatic sleep in the development of posttraumatic intrusive recollection Evidence from a trauma-analogue paradigm Masterarbeit. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319670404_Sleep_yourself_resilient_-_The_role_of_pretraumatic_sleep_in_the_development_of_posttraumatic_intrusive_recollection_-_Evidence_from_a_trauma-analogue_paradigm