Pregnant women fall very short of recommended sleep guidelines, according to research.
And this is due to a myriad of reasons. For instance, not having the right diet can contribute to poor sleeping patterns due to negative impacts on the digestive system; this is when they need the help of Refluxgate.
Queen sized hybrid mattresses can also aid a good night’s sleep for expectant mothers and new parents.
In a poll of 2,000 parents by the bed store Happy Beds, respondents said that they get an average of just five hours of sleep a night – three hours less than the Sleep Council recommends.
The study found that almost a fifth of women had their sleep ‘extremely disrupted’ during pregnancy, and 91% said that they suffered pre-natal sleep problems. Needing to get up for the loo, heartburn and being too hot were found to be some of the top reasons that pregnant women failed to get their recommended 8 hours .
Joy Richards, Sleep Specialist at Happy Beds, who commissioned the survey of 2,000 Mums as part of its campaign to help pregnant mums get a better night’s sleep, said:
“It’s ironic that the time women need to sleep the most is a time when it’s often the hardest.
“Trouble sleeping is something almost every pregnant woman goes through, for all kinds of reasons, from physical discomfort to worries on the mind.
“A bed or mattress that has been comfortable for many years can suddenly feel like the most uncomfortable place in the world, and it can leave women – and their partners – feeling helpless.”
Three in five pregnant women struggled to turn over when they feel like it, and a quarter reported issues with sore hips stopping them from dropping off.
More than four in 10 women also suffered from morning sickness – but rather than waking feeling queasy, the nausea would strike at night, keeping them awake.
Three quarters had much more difficulty dragging themselves out of bed each morning when they were pregnant.
However, a sympathetic 80 per cent of partners admitted to feeling sorry for their other half when they weren’t able to drop off at night.
To help their pregnant spouse sleep, a quarter of partners went to bed earlier than they would have liked, with the same amount opening windows despite finding it too cold.
Thirty-five per cent offered back rubs to try and lull their other halves to dreamland, and three in 10 found themselves reassuring the mums-in-waiting there was nothing to worry about.
Twenty things that keep pregnant mums awake at night
- Being unable to turn over when you want to
- Heartburn
- The baby moving
- Being too hot
- The baby kicking
- Restless legs
- Sore hips
- Feeling sick
- Worrying if the baby will be healthy
- Partner snoring
- Worrying about what giving birth will be like
- Worrying whether the baby is moving / has moved
- Morning sickness – at night
- Money worries
- Thinking about what it will be like when you’re a mum
- Worrying about how you’ll ever function without sleep
- Fear of suddenly going into labour
- Uncomfortable mattress
- Wondering whether you’re keeping your partner awake
- Wanting to get up but knowing you can’t do it without help