Tips on sleeping

[hairpin]

I'm thinking a few of you are like me... having horrible sleep! Even if I sleep most of the night, I wake up tired and groggy. I can't focus on much. I think it's a combination of fitful sleep from the baby moving around, heartburn, and general uncomfortableness.

Does anyone have tips on what to do that can help? Meditation? Naps during the day? Special teas to energize? Special foods?

[aweynsayl]

Here's what helps me.....

I take extra calcium, this helps with my restlessness....
I always take a warm shower before bed...
I dont try to go to sleep until I am VERY TIRED, but I will schnuggle DH in bed for a long time, and read... to get there
Warm milk
Lots and lots of pillows
I have been listening to my CD I made of music for labor ... that helps too!

:thumb

[celestialdreamer]

I take a tums at bedtime as a calcium supplement and also to avoid the nightly heartburn I was having. Sometimes I'll take a warm bath after DH and DD go to sleep to help my muscles relax and to kinda let my brain tune out. I'm still having a bad time sleeping, especially since I'm trying to transition my dd from sleeping squished up against me, but it does help some. Also during the day I take one packet of Emergen-C every morning which is a large dose of Vitamin C and B vitamins (they are water soluble so if its over your body's needs you just pee it out- but that rarely happens to me)...it really helps to energize me :thumb I try to drink lots of water, eat a big serving of dark leafy greens daily (I swear they are energy food!) and rest every afternoon for a little bit while dd is napping. Just trying to be nice to myself takes away some of the fatigue.

[aweynsayl]

Oh, and during the day---

Floridex (sp?? the iron stuff)
and... um.... chocolate ice cream. sometimes a shot of half-caf.
:blush

[nighten]

Bless your heart. I had serious insomnia probs a few months back -- to the point where I got a prescription for it. :(

But thankfully things worked themselves out and I've been okay for sometime now. Here's some of the things I do. I hope some of them might help you too!

Make sure you're taking your vitamins and supplements EARLY in the day. Vitamins energize the body. Many herbal supplements do as well. If Vit C gives you heartburn, eat an orange -- but don't drink OJ. The fruit itself usually doesn't give you heartburn like the juice will. (Bizarre but true.)

Floradix is good stuff as it's loaded with Vit Bs as well as iron, and that can help provide needed energy and combat nausea. Best to take prior to meals and if you're doing it 2x daily then make sure the second time is before your evening meal, as many hours before bedtime as possible.

Although I haven't had much luck with it in terms of iron yet, I am working on more greens, and cooking in my iron skillets, etc. during the day for my anemia. Have you been tested? That could be a big part of your problem. Do you eat meat? Leafy veggies?

Also take ONLY minerals at night -- never take vitamins at night -- and be sure that your calcium has magnesium (and potassium ideally) in combo with it to help you absorb it better. Calcium carbonate reduces the acid in your stomach but calcium needs some acid for effective absorption so make sure you're getting enough calcium from food sources when you're taking antacids. :) Otherwise, take a calcium/mag supplement if possible. It helps your body to relax. And your body will only absorb a set amount of calcium at a time anyway so if you're full up anything extra gets flushed out.

(FYI I've read that you shouldn't take zinc or iron with calcium -- they can interfere with its absorption.)

Eliminate all forms of caffeine from your diet -- including half-cafs and chocolate if you're having severe insomnia. Sorry moosemommy :o I hate to say it but any caffeine can affect sleep, period. So using it as an energizer during the day only works for folks who don't have sleeping problems at night. If you don't sleep well, it's best to avoid caffeine. But if you absolutely have to have it, limit it to before noon only. I know that sounds preachy but it's pretty true. (Don't hate me. :P)

I agree that environment plays a huge part in sleeping, too -- I've found I get hot very easily nowadays so I've started wearing less wintry nightclothes, etc. I also get stuffed up easily so have a vaporizer thingy running -- which helps keep me from waking up to sneeze or blow my nose. (AH but I also take Chlor-Trimeton for allergies as needed and that helps a little. That's a personal choice; some folks take Benadryl, some take nothing. It's what you're comfy with and what you need. Obviously if you don't need it, don't take it.)

There are some really good homeopathic remedies for sleeplessness too -- if you're interested, PM me and I'll send you a list.

I totally agree that sound (white noise, CDs, etc.) and surroundings (pillows, blankets) are also important, as is light (do you like light? Total darkness?).

And keep in mind that things which might have worked for comfy sleeping prior to pg may no longer work now. Try something new. You might've always been a total darkness no noise kinda gal but third trimester mama might actually be more comfy with a fan and a nightlight. Who knows? :)

Don't be afraid to try a new ritual.

Good luck, hope some of that helps and sweet dreams!

[AdinaL]

I make sure I am full (no hunger pangs, and no heartburn.), I bought two pregnancy wedges from Boppy so that no matter which side I am sleeping on, I have belly support, and I don't have to drag the pillow around, I got a homeopathic sleep aid, keep papaya by the bed, and my husband rubs my back until I fall asleep. :lol

I also try to combat the desire to sit on my butt all day...and actually do something. I find that if I am actually tired, I sleep. I go to bed a bit later than I should - because then I sleep better.

Eliminate as much that wakes you up at night as possible. My husband's snoring was waking me - and we turned the humidifier on, and the white noise helps me not hear it. My asthma was kicking up, thus waking me up during the night, so I went and got a new script to help.

:hug I feel your pain. I find that I am not comfy a lot of the time, and have to work at it to get comfy enough to sleep.

[JefsJen]

hmm, well, last night I tossed and turned until around 4 and got on the couch and slept for maybe 2 hrs. I might've gotten some sleep before 4, but I don't remember any. Not ruling it out though.

I normally try to remember to take my 2 Valerian before bedtime...It usually helps me. I had had that much of a problem lately though, since my youngest has been sick and waking me like every 30 min or so during the night. Then the night before last I slept perfectly (-the bathroom trips as usual though) but it was great quality sleep, so I guess that's why I didn't think to take the Valerian. Anyhoo.

I slept crappy last night and I'm gonna pay for it today. But maybe I can try and squeeze in a nap.

[Citykid]

I also am sleeping awful lately. I fall asleep easily but then I wake up around 2 and am up for usually about 2 hours. My doula last night suggested that I go to bed 2 hours early so that when I'm awake for 2 hours in the middle of the night, I don't feel guilty about it. I tried it and it worked! Beating myself up for not being able to sleep is one of my biggest sleep problems.

A glass of water and papaya pills by my bedside helps me also, although I still need to get up for food and peeing.

But my MW said that bad sleep in the 3rd tri could be nature's way of prepping you for sleepless nights with the babe - if you're already used to sleepign poorly, you won't resent db for keeping you up.

Also re: rituals: I sing lullabies to my belly every night and it's one of my favorite times of the day. I get to practice and memorize the lullabies before db comes, I feel like I'm spending time just paying attention to db, and it's a nice ritual for me also.

The Bradley relaxation exercises, when we manage to do them, help as well.

[nighten]

Sort of off topic but not really -- I keep waking up with bizarre songs stuck in my head. (Apparently I now have soundtracks to my dreams.)

And having a song stuck in your head can make it difficult to get back to sleep.

I have no clue where I heard/read this but it's been a fave trick of mine for years now. Whenever you get a song stuck in your head, hum the theme to Sanford and Son. (Some people say the Star Spangled Banner works but if it has lyrics, then it gets stuck in my head, so I have to stick to music only.) Anyway, Sanford & Son theme works like a charm for me -- and it doesn't replace the stuck song -- it just fades away....