pregnancy insomnia

[Pippi L.]

Does anyone have some good ideas to deal with pregnancy insomnia? I've barely slept for the past week. I've started a good bedtime with a bath, reading a relaxing book, and going to bed early. I'm avoiding the computer in the evening and I've given up chocolate (I don't know if it was the caffeine or the sugar but wow -- that got me wired!). That's help me at least rest at night and not get anxious about sleeping, but I'm still awake or in a very restless sleep all night long. I'll be 31 weeks tomorrow -- so far enough along that it's physically uncomfortable but not far enough along to know that I won't be pregnant much longer. It's so hard to deal with my 2.5 year old daughter during the day when I'm so groggy. At least with a newborn you usually get to sleep for two hour stretches.

[MaerynPearl]

I have to take benedryl to sleep

however, also recommended is chamomile tea (without anything else in it with caffeine... Sleepy Time tea is good stuff) or a bath scented with lavender (such as calgon lavender vanilla which I LOVE)

[EnchantedMamma]

My Dr. (GP not OB) told me to take Melatonin as I have serious sleep issues.

I haven't done any research yet, but that could be an option. YMMV

[echospiritwarrior]

I either make myself a cup of chamomile tea, or I take 15-20 drops of Valerian root tincture.

[Peony]

I take melatonin when not pg to help me sleep a few nights a week. I stay away from it during pg because I am uncomfortable with it's use during pg, I stay away from very few things while pg. During pg I take Benedryl every other night to sleep.

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by EnchantedMamma

My Dr. (GP not OB) told me to take Melatonin as I have serious sleep issues.

I haven't done any research yet, but that could be an option. YMMV

My doctor told me to stop my Melatonin when I got pregnant. I was taking it before I got pregnant though and it worked then.

[laerhk]

Midwives recommended Melatonin for 10 nights (take 1/2 hour before bed) after drinking Roobios and Oatstraw tea (health food store). After the 10 nights, I'm supposed to drink Passion flower tea. If it's not better after 10 nights, I'm supposed to call her again.

I only took the Melatonin (5 mg, which is a little much, considering I was still groggy in the A.M.) 3 nights, but continue to drink the R and O tea on the nights I'm not at all tired when it's close to bedtime and/or if I didn't sleep the night before very well.

I feel SOOO much better, and am sleeping again after weeks of 2-5 interrupted hours. I told my midwife that I was trying to empathize with my future self/baby and had my days and nights mixed up. Must have been right if my problem was solved so quickly! (Ahhhhhhhhhh............)

Wondering why doctor said not to take it? Can't find evidence against it online except "if you are pregnant or breastfeeding..." standard warning listed on all supplements and homeopathics, which I find exist to satisfy laws, rather than actually being helpful. If there is something bad about it, I'd really like to know!

[aikigypsy]

I've been waking up for a couple of hours most nights, mostly because I'm HUNGRY! (I think I'm at around 33 weeks now). Last night I practically slept through, just got up once for a glass of water. I had more protien at dinner, and I think that helped me feel full.

I know that some people don't sleep well on a full belly, but I know I can't sleep at all if I'm hungry. For me, eating something high protien/slow to digest helped, at least last night. Good luck with it!

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by laerhk

Wondering why doctor said not to take it? Can't find evidence against it online except "if you are pregnant or breastfeeding..." standard warning listed on all supplements and homeopathics, which I find exist to satisfy laws, rather than actually being helpful. If there is something bad about it, I'd really like to know!

Melatonin is a hormone... and my doctor (and midwife) do not feel comfortable with me introducing a hormone into my body that we do not know I am already lacking, that there are no studies that show how it effects other hormones in pregnancy.

The fact that it can decrease sperm count in men is more than enough to tell me its probably not something I want going through my system while I'm trying to create a life!

[Pippi L.]

I'm finally sleeping a bit better now! I was accidentally drinking caffeine (some kombucha from a friend) in small doses in the evening. I'm super sensitive to caffeine so that really kept me up. I can't believe it took me a week to make the connection.

Someone in my yoga class also mentioned that in her last pregnancy she needed a softer sleeping surface and once she got a mattress pad from Ikea she felt much better. I normally hate really soft sleeping surfaces like you get from mattress pads but I thought I'd try sleeping on top of our thick, wool comforter just to see if it helped. It made a huge difference. My back still hurts but at least my hips feel a lot better. Now when I inevitably wake I up I can back to sleep much faster.

I still can't wait until these nights are over, though. I really do remember the newborn stage being much easier than this.