Insomnia

[nousername123]

I'm 22 weeks pregnant and no matter what I do I literally lay awake all night, I'm lucky if I get an hour in the morning after my partner gets up for work. I feel drained throughout the day but as soon as my head hits the pillow, I just can't sleep at all and I find myself getting angry. I've given up caffeine, I don't eat before bed, I only drink water so I don't get heartburn or anything. I just can't switch off at all. I asked a pharmacist for something to help me sleep and she said because I'm pregnant there's nothing I can take. Any tips guys?x

DS is nearly 2 now but I remember it well, so I really feel for you. In fact, when he arrived and I managed a total of 5 hours sleep in one night (with a feed in the middle) I felt like a million dollars and wondered why people say the newborn stage is hard!

I stated ML early and this was one of the reasons. No real advice though, except I found that lying quietly and trying to zone out or cat napping on my days off helped over all.

My tips for beating insomnia:

1. Go to bed and get up at same time every day

1. If you can't sleep, don't stay in bed, go to living room and read for 20 mins

1. Download the Sleep app from Headspace. 10 mins (general) every afternoon and then 10 mins (singles) when you are in bed.

1. Make sure you get a good walk/gentle exercise ever afternoon

It's really hard op , the only thing I've found helpful is to allow myself to sleep when I can. I've been on maternity leave for a couple of weeks now and have been enjoying the luxury of an afternoon nap.

The night time sleep isn't happening though. I feel bad because my dp is going to work on a crap nights sleep due to my cramp/heartburn/fidgeting/toilet trips.

Writing about what helped me.

Try magnesium baths (I used Dead Sea salts) or magnesium oil. May be mineral deficiency.

Drink a good deal of water throughout the day and even leading up to bed. From where you are now, sleeping and getting up to pee a lot is still an improvement.

Keep a food diary. For me, a lot of this was related to reactions to: sulfites and sodium bicarbonate. Yes, they're in everything. I'm not saying that this causes insomnia for everyone or it would work for you but it's not been until I've worked out what I can and cannot eat that my sleep has improved massively. You might want to start noting if you have better days after eating/not eating certain things.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going on maternity leave early because my work aren't very accommodating. I'm still expected to work my 13.5 hour shifts with a 45 minute break, luckily I'm in charge on that shift and most of the care staff are very understanding. I'm always keeping busy and extremely tired at the end of the day which is why I just don't understand why I'm not sleeping. Last night my partner was fidgeting and snoring away and I could have smothered him with a pillow! I got so angry I shouted at him while he was asleep and then got even more annoyed because it didn't wake him up 😂 we have a kingsize bed and i literally feel like I'm sleeping in a single bed! I'm not blaming him for the lack of sleep because I did manage to sleep next to him quite peacefully before pregnancy, but he definitely isn't helping! I think I'm gonna try listening to classical music or something to help me relax! It's just frustrating to be so tired and not be able to sleep, I dread bedtime now. I'm pretty routined these days, I go to bed around 10:30/11 every night on my mornings off i get out of bed at 9:30. On my morning or all day shifts I get up at 6:30am! I'm hoping it does get a bit easier when baby is born!x

Is it just your mind racing that's keeping you awake? I found warm sitz baths helpful - so I half fill the bathtub so bump is well out of the water but back gets a nice hot soak, and go for a little post dinner walk beforehand.

If DHs snoring is bothering you try going to bed a half hour before him or asking him to sleep in the lounge for a day or two just to help you get your mojo back.

And try doing some exercise during the day - mild walk or yoga or Pilates or something can help.

I walk loads throughout the day. My partner is disabled and sleeping on the sofa isn't really an option! I was considering sleeping on the sofa! I might try having a bath tonight and listening to some soft music, hopefully it will help me fall asleep!! I don't really think my mind Is racing, it's just as soon as my head hits the pillow, Im wide awake x

Hope you managed to get some sleep last night Zoe!

I'm still about like this wake up and can take hours to get back to sleep. I found a pregnancy pillow helped a bit. X

For the first time in a long bloody time I slept! Not only did I sleep, I slept for like 11 hours 😂 I must have fallen asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow! I will definitely be going to be bed before my partner from now on x

Oh this brought back memories. I used to sit for hours with a laptop on my bump researching buggies, freezers, coming on here, writing schedules etc. etc. When my twins arrived, I got more sleep than I had for ages, so it was good prep in that sense!

Hope it improves for you and glad you had a great night last night.

I am 23 weeks and have been waking at 4 for about half an hour for about 6 weeks, but this week it has gotten more like I'm unable to get to sleep for 1 or 2 hours once I wake.

I find getting up and going downstairs to read a book (NOT TV or social media) or if you have a kindle and can read without the light on, being in bed and reading.

I am also going to start having horlicks before bed and maybe making one in the night.

I can get sleep by 6 and then am fast asleep when my alarm goes off at 8 for work which is quite annoying.

and I catch up with day naps at the weekend.

This is what has kind of worked for me: 36 weeks and insomnia since June, generally wake 1.50/2.50 am for 2-3 hrs.

Going to bed at 9.30 and lights out by 10pm. No phone for hour before bed. I sometimes have a bath at 9 and then read for 30 mins in bed.

Before I turn out the light I put lavender oil in a roll on on my wrists/pulse points in neck.

Turfed my husband out to sleep somewhere else and now sleep soooo much better (luckily we have a spare room). He's much heavier than me and when he'd turn over in bed I'd be jolted awake plus he does this annoying kicking the duvet thing, grrrr. He also wants to go to sleep later like 11pm.

If I wake in the night have a quick pee without turning any lights on and have a quick oatcake or cracker once back in bed as I read it can be low blood sugar in the night. I use this trick once back in bed: breathe in for 5, hold for 3c breathe out for 6. It helps slow your heart rate and give your mind something to concentrate on,

If I absolutely cannot get back to sleep I read.

I'd say on a good night (about one in theee) with all these tricks I might wake but only for 20 mins or so. On bad nights I can be awake for 2-3 hrs but I try all these things before giving up and reading.

Good luck!

I had this with both pregnancies. No advice sorry but you have my sympathy

Glad you managed to sleep last night, hopefully that'll continue but if it doesn't do go see your doctor, there are medicines you can take in pregnancy for insomnia and if its really bad (an hour a night is really bad!) then help is needed.

I'm 31 weeks and totally with you - have SDP/PGP and leg cramps so bed time is tricky. Things that have helped me include having a bath with some lavender/chamomile essence or bubbles. Making my partner also have a scented bath so that he smells relaxing too (there was much protest to this but he relented! :D). Listening to relaxation podcasts. Oh and Lush sleepy cream - check when it's safe to use I think it's after 20 something weeks.

My next steps include turfing my partner out of bed and turning our kingsize bed into a full pillow nest to support bump and my back...

I'm 22 weeks as well and have had insomnia for about 3 weeks now. It's exhausting!!! This is my 2nd pregnancy and last time insomnia started at 30 weeks so this is killing me.
Things I've found that help...don't use your phone/laptop/iPad or to for at least 30 mins before bed.
Read a book instead. When you're awake don't lie in bed thinking about it, get the book out again. I find I start running thru lists of what needs doing otherwise.
Warm drink before bed, I have a fruit tea.
I tried Lush sleepy cream, didn't help but it smells lovely.
Vanilla and lavender are meant to help you sleep so try a cream or scented candle in that.
Ideally kick partner out of bed or sleep elsewhere. Nothing worse than listening to someone blissfully snoring away. Plus I find with the extra space you can find comfort positions to lie in. We're also in a king size bed and it feels tiny. I regularly wake him to tell him to stop snoring. Luckily we have a spare room so take it in turns to be in our room closest to our toddler in case they wake.
Can your partner give you a massage/foot rub when you're in bed to relax you? I have suggested these things and sometimes they work, other times I am awake 3-4 hours a night but I keep trying.
Good luck, I feel your pain!!!

My partner is disabled so kicking him out of bed isn't really an option. I literally didn't sleep at all last night and am currently in work on a 13.5 hour shift 😩🔫 my partner does his best with back rubs and foot rubs but in reality his disability means it's not for long or a proper massage etc. It's not so bad when I don't have to work the next day, my shifts are getting less and less because I've worked lots of overtime previously so thy owe me hours so taking time off of that every week. I'm gonna have a bath when I get in and hopefully that will relax me tonight x

I agree that you could do with a chat to a GP. A pharmacist won't be able to recommend anything during pregnancy but a GP can, I speak from experience. My GP said that sleep is important during pregnancy, obviously you're not expected to get as much during pregnancy but you do need some! Also second a maternity pillow, made so much difference. Try not to talk yourself into the fact that you're not going to sleep, just say to yourself you're going to close your eyes and see what happens. I used to visualise drifting on a raft along a beautiful loch with stunning scenery when I was trying to sleep, that still helps me now tbh. I also agree that as soon as baby was born (both times) my sleep was so much better so hang in there.