Second trimester pregnancy insomnia - middle of the night!

[gumshoegirl007]

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to deal with insomnia?  I'm not having problems falling asleep, per say, but I keep on waking up somewhere between 3am - 4am and then I can't get back to sleep.  I'm exhausted and cranky which is no fun for anyone.

Anyone experiencing the same?  Any suggestions or tips?

[lillymonster]

I have had this for 2nd and 3rd trimester. After taking extrra magnesium and upping my protein, I still had it bad. So I take 1/2 a unisom when I wake up at night. I am prone to depression if I don't get enough sleep, and had ppd last pregnancy, so I really need to sleep. I still wake up to pee or if I am hungry, but I am not awake between the hours of 2:30 and 7AM like I was before.  1/2 unisom is what my midwife recommended for morning sickness, and I was getting morning sickness again in the 3rd trimester, so it helps that too.

[msmiranda]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one!  I was wondering if this was a normal pregnancy symptom or if there was something wrong with me.  I don't have any tips other than try not to get started thinking about something that worries you -- that keeps me awake longer every time.  Sometimes I wake up only twice a night, sometimes I wake up 3-4 times.  It sucks!

[ibusymomto5]

30-60min of heart pounding, sweaty exercise 4-5 days a week. It makes me sleep like a baby all night long.

[~Adorkable~]

for me this comes on waves as the babies have a growth spurt and getting back to sleep is all about a good protein shake. i drink one right before i go to sleep and anothr one when i wake in the middle of the night, it has been a total life saver!!

the brand i adore is Orgain and can be ordered cheeper than anywhere else from www.supersup.com

[anne1140]

No help here. I've been experiencing it since the very beginning. It was probably my first pregnancy symptom! I never had problems sleeping before. 

[Stayseeliz]

No naps and exercise really helps me!

[Sihaya]

I got this with DS in the 3rd trimester, and as a very early pg symptom with all four of my pgs. It went away fairly early on and is just now starting again this time. What has helped me during pg is taking a cal/mag supplement right before bed and listening to hypnosis tracks before bed and when I wake up in the night (I'm doing Hypnobabies, so I have a schedule of tracks to listen to each night and I also bought the track "Peaceful Sleep Now for Expectant Moms" which is what I listen to if I wake up in the night).

This is also a symptom I get while not pg due to Adrenal Fatigue, so I've tried a bunch of different things for it while not pg, too. Earplugs, an eye mask, and moving to a separate bed away from DH (who snores!) and DS (who clings!) were hugely helpful in sleeping through the night. No electronic stimulus (tv, computer, smart phone) for 1-2 hours before bed and being asleep by 10pm were also amazingly helpful, but ultimately not sustainable for our family. I believe Valerian tincture is safe while pg and that has helped me in the past.

There's also Rescue Remedy Sleep, Calms Forte, chamomile or lemon balm teas, and the "Hibernation Diet" which involves taking a big spoonful of honey before bed and going to sleep/waking up with the sun. None of those things were especially helpful to me, but other people with sleep issues (specifically the waking between 2-5am and not being able to get back to sleep) swear by them.

[imogenlily]

Originally Posted by Sihaya 

chamomile or lemon balm teas

Chamomile was something that worked for me pre-pregnancy, but my pregnancy books and midwife information pack say it's not safe for pregnancy? Neither source really explains why. Can anyone shed some light?

[Sihaya]

Chamomile was something I only used while not pregnant and I never looked into whether it was safe while pg because it didn't work for me.

From reading several articles just now including this page, I would probably be comfortable drinking a cup of tea each evening, but not with using a stronger infusion or tincture or anything like that. It's really up to you if the possibility of risks outweighs your need for restful sleep.

[atpeace]

Do you find that your mind is racing when you're awake at night?  I don't mean anxiety or worry, but excitement, plans, stuff you want to do/research to get ready for the baby?  I had wicked pregnancy insomnia too, with both my kids, and I found that I'd wake up at night with ideas or things I wanted to get done (like patrol kijiji.com for used carriers, research vaccinations, update my to-do list, and hang out here!).  It was just plain old pregnancy excitement and baby anticipation. 

What helped me was to start a pregnancy blog where I posted my list of things to do, things to look up, and things to organize, names I was considering, milestones I was reaching in the pregnancy, belly pictures, etc.  It was a way to get all those fun thoughts that were keeping me awake, out of my head and to a place where I wouldn't forget them.  Perhaps your insomnia is also psychologically-driven like mine was, and this idea might help you too. 

Or maybe it's just the baby getting you ready for sleepless nights once he/she is born, as everyone told me! Good luck!

[camprunner]

I just talked to my midwife about this yesterday. She said it was normal. I'd always heard the second trimester was wonderful and that you could finally sleep.  She suggests tea and relaxation. I also have trouble getting to sleep so I keep a good book next to me and sometimes I just get out of bed altogether for a little while until I'm sleepy again. Eventually, I'll lie back down and try again even if I'm not tired.

[Virginia884]

This happened to me all through the 1st Tri and then went away in the 2nd. Now that I'm almost in the 3rd it's started again. At night I am exhausted, but I find that if I can make myself stay awake just a bit longer, I sleep better through the night and wake up later. So instead of falling asleep on the couch at 8:30, I try and push it to 10. Then I wake up at 5:30 instead of 2. 

[Family4Christ]

No advice here.  Just a hug.  I've had it since I first became pregnant and there's no end in sight.  I woke up like 15 times a few nights ago.  My average is around 5.  If I wake enough, I'm up for 2 hours.  Now, my 2 yo is sick, so I'm pretty much a zombie.

I hope you find a good solution.  I did a post about insomnia on here a couple months ago that got a lot of replies.  There was a lot of good info!

[babymango]

I get pretty bad insomnia too. 

With my first pregnancy, I would fall asleep no problem, but would wake up early (4am)

This time around, I just can't fall asleep, sometimes im up until 3am!  And DH gets up for work at 6... :(  It makes me SO tired (duh) and so cranky!   I have kind of given up on sleeping at night like I used to.  I sleep whenever I can, whether it's during DS' nap, once DH is back home from work, etc.   I had tried everything, tisane, hypnosis, warm bath, unisom (it gave me restless legs, it was so much worse!!)... 

I think that thinking too much, having so much to do (not really stress or anxiety, but just nesting, wanting to research stuff, etc, as PP mentionned) is really what keeps me up.  I now take full advantage of being awake for a few hours after everyone has gone to bed to clean, sew, cook, research stuff.  Once I've done a couple things and feel like i've been productive, I find it's easier to fall asleep.