3rd trimester insomnia - anything we can do or just go with the flow?

[spatulagirl]

I have been suffering from bouts of insomnia the past couple of weeks. Nothing is wrong with me; I feel great! I just wake up and then can't go back to sleep. Tonight I woke up because I was hot (forgot to turn the heat down before I went to bed) and then I had to pee and then I was hungry... you get the drift! LOL

I had insomnia with my first but I could take naps and rest a lot more easily than I can now that I am pregnant with my fourth. My 2-year-old doesn't nap so me getting a rest in during the day is rare. This causes me to stress a little more when I wake at night because I am losing precious sleep which then makes it harder to fall asleep.

Anyway, is there anything you could recommend? I am in great health, exercise a lot, eat great... I drink some relaxing tea before bed and always knit or read or relax before sleeping. I can't think of anything I am not already doing!

[expat_canuck]

I hear you, sister.  I'm 36 weeks, and I have the same thing.  No matter what, i wake up to pee a couple of times a night. I almost always wind up having problems falling back to sleep after one of those bathroom trips - and usually that's because I"m hungry.   I find the more protein I eat before bed,  the  later my waking up hungry time - if I get enough protein in, I can sometimes make it until 7:30-8 am, at which point I'm STARVING, but at least I'm not up in the middle of the night.   

I've made sure to keep some super high protein snacks on hand for my middle of the night wake ups - for me, Cliff Bars (the ones with 20g of protein, I think they're called Builders' Bars) do the trick. They're easy, not messy and don't require being awake enough to prep a snack.  I also have loaded up my ipod with a variety of podcasts and I find that if I lie back down in bed after eating, and listen to something entertaining and yet still quiet/soothing (like NPR-type voices, although obviously this won't work for you if you find those voices annoying), I can at least rest my body and eyes. I usually fall asleep part way through one. 

oh - also - I take Ca-Mg supplements right before bed, and I think they help me relax.

[spargel]

I usually wake up sometime between 3 and 5am most mornings. The only thing that really works for me is to listen to relaxation/meditation tracks on my MP3 player. Many times this will do the trick - even though I'm not stressed out or thinking about anything in particular - I'm just annoyingly awake!

[spatulagirl]

Alright! I will try cal-mag and b complex supplements before bed and also loading the ipod up with meditation tracks. That just might help!

[~Adorkable~]

yeah i have that popping up again, for me its protein and keeping the house cool, and each time i get up to pee, i chug a big swig of kefier yogurt, it keeps the protein levels up and helps cut it off at the pass.