Pregnancy insomnia help please!

[wishingforwillpower]

Just that really - I'm 16 weeks and have had terrible insomnia for about a fortnight now. Typically fall asleep fine then wake about 2-3am needing the loo and will take hours to fall back to sleep, if at all. Has anyone else experiences this and does anyone have any tips? I feel like it's killing me!! My mind just seems to whiz in to action as soon as I wake in the night and I can't shut it off again, plus I get quite restless legs which doesn't help. I have a toddler already so very little time to rest during the day, so if this carries on much longer I'm going to really struggle!
Any help/company in the middle of the night greatly appreciated!

Sounds silly but in my experience it really works on an overactive mind.

Count 1 when you breath in, and 2 when you breath out. Every time you think of anything else, focus back in on that.

After about 37 weeks I just took two paracetamol which helped a lot. Try a nice bath/shower right before bed & no TV or screens in the bedroom?

Thanks! Will try the breathing thing and yeah I shouldn't be on my iPad, I know that doesn't help! Going to try to be back to bed now...
Ps why are you both awake? Just being nosey!

1 year old and 3 year old non sleepers. If it helps, they've made me figure out ways to go to sleep very quickly when I get chance.

Your not alone! Im.26 wks and its not gettin better. Been up since 4.30 thanks to my over active blader and insomniatic 3 yr old and now watching tikkerbilla in bed. Sleep, whats that again?!

23 weeks today and sleeping is a real issue for me at the moment. Have a 1yo who has just started (more or less sleeping through), but I can't! After a year of waiting and now I'm waking every hour nearly with sore hips, need a wee etc. then I can't get back over again! midwife says pregnancy insomnia is your body preparing you for sleepless nights. I don't need prepared, I need to flipping sleep!!

Helpful techniques are breathing exercises, playing word games in your head eg. I play the alphabet game, pick a topic eg countries and work through the alphabet. Also been trying a yoga relaxation cd recently which my pregnancy yoga teacher gave me. Works really well to take your mind off things!

I've been awake since 4:30 after finally getting to sleep about 12:30. I am 34 weeks and the insomnia that plagued me through my last pregancy is back with a vengeance.

I can only offer sympathy as I haven't really found anything helps that much.

My toddler wakes about 5:30 so at least I'm not lonely

Some Tips:

1. You can use Extra pillows to support both the tummy and back.
2. Drinking a glass of warm milk may help bring on sleep.
3. Techniques, such as stretching, yoga, massage, and deep breathing help induce sleep.
4. Regular exercise during pregnancy promotes physical and mental health. Exercise also can help you sleep more deeply.

I am only 5 weeks and I have had this for about 2-3 weeks, every single night, even before I got my BFP . In fact, it was the only 'symptom' I had, if you can call it that. I am praying this is going to subside as my pregnancy progresses but reading your posts is making me think otherwise!

I am lucky that this will be my first so I really feel for you ladies who are having to contend with other DC too

Thanks everyone. Went back to bed at 4.30 and tried the breathing techniques which I think must have helped as I fell in to a lovely deep sleep. However my DS then woke at 530am! Torture...
I remember this from last time but at least that was my first pg so I could at least nap and rest through the day!
I've heard that gem about the insomnia being your body preparing for having a newborn - as a pp said, thanks but I really don't need the practice, especially 24 bloody weeks before I'm due!!
Today my eyes feel like they are swollen and hot with tiredness, plus I have a cold and sore throat . On top of that my DS has started having spectacular tantrums just in the past week... Argh!

pirotin cures this. :)

I had this through three pregnancies and in the end the doctor gave me rohypnol! But i found that listening to audiobooks on the ipod / reading by headlamp (not to disturb husband) helped pass the time and sometimes did send me to sleep again. Total sympathy, it is soul destroying.

Oh dear hope you have more luck tonight OP!
I was up feeding my 7 week old, will probably be up at 4 again tonight babies are fun.

Something that works for an over active mind is to think of topics through the alphabet e.g street names / pop groups / fruit etc beginning with a,b,c etc. if you're focused on this, you won't get to z before you fall asleep!

hi all - sorry to hear you're all suffering with this - sadly me too :(

Hi sausage - we chatted on the ttc thread and got our bfps at the same time :) :)

Im in exactly the same shoes as you sausage in that Im 5 weeks but have been suffering from insomnia but just for about a week now and am finding it very hard as Im getting about 2 hours sleep a night and am walking around like a zombie for the day :( Have tried to have a bit more exercise and going to bed later but so far nothing has worked

I was hoping it was just an early excitement that I couldn't fall asleep with the thrill of finally getting my bfp but sadly reading your stories I fear this is not the case but a pg symptom

How are you sausage? Are you getting any symptoms? I think it sounds like our dates are pretty much exactly the same time. Do hope its all going really well for you :) xx

Hi just FYI for anyone else suffering pregnancy insomnia... Last night went to bed without my phone and covered my digital clock so I couldn't see the time and slept much better. Think maybe something to do with seeing that its the middle of the night makes me panic about not getting back to sleep again which then stops me from nodding off!

Argh me too! 10 weeks preg and had it for almost two weeks now. Bed at 9.30, drop off an hour later, wake at around 3.30 and either can't get back to sleep or get to sleep just before alarm clock goes off or DC wakes up st 6.30. So busy in the day with work and toddler so it's not that. Tried the counting thing last night to no avail. Have thought about going to bed later but knackered by 9.30 and will be doubly annoyed if I go to bed later and still wake at 3.30...any other tips welcome...

blueskies I feel like a zombie too. Rare day off today and toddler with my parents and had plans to go to yoga, shopping, tidy house etc but just want to veg out with chocolate and tv...

really good advice - Ive heard that you should NEVER look at the clock in the night as then you will automatically say oMG its this time and I will never get to sleep and that will be your focus whereas if you don't look you can just hopefully creep into bed and be the none the wiser about the time - akin maybe to sleeping like a baby - they don't know what time of day or night it is they just fall asleep and maybe that works for us on the same principle

here's to lots of lovely restful sleep for us all - fingers crossed

I'm 40 weeks but have has poor sleep for about 4-6 weeks now.

I've found listening to the hypo birthing app on my phone really helpful. Has a separate relaxation and affirmations section so if you're early on you could just listen to the relaxation bit ( or get a real head start on the affirmations!).

Good luck x

I was up cleaning the kitchen at 2.30am this morning....

The 'night' before I was in the living room at 3.00am, having a nice cup of tea and flicking through my puzzle book..

I'm currently averaging about 4 hours of broken sleep a night...

Up again, after just 3.5 hours sleep... Restless legs, head full of a million different thoughts/plans/worries. Argh!