I am 37 weeks pregnant and cant sleep for more than 3 hours at a time help any advice?

Question

This happened yesterday

Answer 1

Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. I'm only a couple of weeks behind you in terms of pregnancy, and I'm in the same boat. The routine goes: Wake up, pee, toss and turn, turn and toss, doze for half an hour, wake up and kick legs because of heebie jeebies, worry for an hour, doze for an hour, wake up, pee, worry a little, shift positions twenty times because of back pain, doze for three hours, wake up for good. It sucks, doesn't it?

The only thing I've noticed that helps me is to make sure I'm good and ready for bed. Don't nap during the day because you'll be restless at night. Get physical activity in so that you're actually tired, not just drowsy, when it's time for bed. Stop consuming caffeine and don't exercise four hours before bed. Also, about an hour before you're ready for sleep, start winding down with a hot bath or a backrub. Good luck!

Edited to add: Mikey needs to take the corncob out of his butt. If that's the sympathy he gives her, I feel very, very sorry for his wife. But it's ok, she'll probably leave him soon anyway.

Also, though getting such little sleep isn't any fun, it's nature's way of preparing us for the sleepless nights ahead of us when we have to get up every 2 and 1/2 or three hours for feedings.

Answer 2

Believe me...its so much normal at ur stage of pregnancy. By this time the tummy is so big u can't follow ur original posture for sleeping and ur back aches...legs feel restless. So don't worry..
Try sleeping in a rocking chair. U'll feel better.

Or u cud also take a shower so that u'll fall asleep sooner and stay asleep longer.

Have a glass of warm milk before u go to bed.

I suggest u to read "What to expect when you are expecting" its a great book for reading!

I too had very bad time sleeping throughout my pregnancy! So relax.. its very normal.

Answer 3

Warm milk ? Sorry I cannot help any more. And, sorry to say, that won't change after birth for a while, because the baby will probably only sleep 3 hours at a time. Remember, nap when he/she naps.

Answer 4

try sleeping with a body pillow or sleep in a recliner. turn on a fan for white noise

Answer 5

There are a lot of great articles and information on how stress can effect sleep at ( http://www.reducingstress.net ). there are also many tips for solving the problem.

Answer 6

have sex than relax with a pillow between ur legs or lie there with ur bf with ur leg on top of his waist turn the airconditioner low and cover up with a blank it it use to work for me oo yea put on a movie

Answer 7

I have a total body pillow from Rest My Back... it is the best thing ever...keeps you in one position all night....the best 150 bucks spent!!

Answer 8

QUIT WHINING. your pregnant! You made this deision. My wife has the same problem and she just takes naps during the day.

Answer 9

Sleep upright. It's so much more comfortable.

Answer 10

If it only happened once, then you don't have to worry about it, sometimes if you eat something wrong or if you are worried or having some digestive problems sleep disorder could occur. However, try these general tips for the sake of better sleep:

1. Keep regular hours. The best way to ensure perfect nights is to stick to a regular schedule. If you sleep late one morning and rise before dawn the next, you can come down with a home-bound version of jet lag. To keep your biological clock in sync, get up at the same time, regardless of how much or how little you've slept.
Try to stick close to your usual sleep schedule on weekends and holidays as well as workdays. If you stay up late on Friday and Saturday nights and sleep-in the following mornings you may give yourself a case of "Sunday-night insomnia": You get to bed early to be bright eyed on Monday morning and try to sleep, but you can't. The harder you try, the more wakeful you feel. When travel or work throws of your routine, try to maintain some semblance of regularity. Eat your meals at the same times you normally do. Try to get some sleep during your usual bedtime hours. And return to your normal schedule as soon as you can.

2. Exercise regularly. Exercise enhances sleep by burning off the tensions that accumulate during the day, allowing both the body and mind to unwind. While the fit seem to sleep better and deeper than the flabby, you don't have to push to utter exhaustion. A 20 to 30 minute walk, jog, swim or bicycle ride at least three days a week--the minimum for cardiovascular benefits--should be your goal.
But don't wait too late in the day to exercise. In the evening, you should be concentrating on winding down rather than working up a sweat. And don't expect early-morning exercise to have any impact on the tensions that build up during the day. The ideal exercise time is late afternoon or early evening, when your workout can help you shift gears from daytime pressures to evening pleasures.
3. Cut down on stimulants. North Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee a day and get extra doses in tea, cola drinks (including diet colas) and chocolate. Some people seem sensitive to even small amounts; others build up a tolerance.
If you're a coffee lover, have your last cup of the day no later than six to eight hours before your bedtime. Its stimulating effects will peak for two to four hours later, although they'll linger for several hours more. Late-evening caffeine can make it harder for you to fall asleep, diminish deep sleep and increase nighttime awakening.

Caffeine isn't the only dietary sleep-robber. Tyrosine, a substance found in chocolate, Chianti and cheddar cheese can trigger heart palpitations in the night. Diet pills contain stimulants that can keep you awake. Other drugstore drug interactions can also disrupt you nights. If you're taking any prescription or over-the-counter drugs, ask your doctor whether they may affect your sleep.

4. Sleep on a good bed. A good night's sleep starts from the bottom up. You're less likely to get deep, solid, restful sleep on a bed that's too small, too soft, too hard or just plain too old. Unfortunately, we tend to get used to our old mattresses and box springs--just like a broken-down pair of old running shoes--and may not realize they've gradually been losing their comfort and support. If your bed is older than eight to ten years, use our on-line bed check to determine if it is ready for retirement. In selecting a new sleep set, follow Goldilocks' rule: Try a variety of mattresses and choose the one that feels just right for you.
5. Don't smoke. Nicotine is an even stronger stimulant than caffeine. According to several studies, heavy smokers take longer to fall asleep, awaken more often and spend less time in REM and deep NREM sleep. Because nicotine withdrawal can start two to three hours after their last puff, some smokers wake in the night craving a cigarette. When smokers break their nicotine habit, their sleep improves dramatically. In one study, two-pack-a-day smokers who quit cut the time they lay awake in bed by almost half.
6. Drink only in moderation. Alcohol is the oldest most popular sleep aid. Although a nightcap is a habit for many, liquor late in the evening may mean problems throughout the night. Even moderate drinking can suppress REM and deep NREM sleep and accelerate shifts between sleep stages. Too much alcohol with dinner can make it harder to fall asleep and too much at bedtime can make it harder to stay asleep. As the immediate effects of alcohol wear off, REM sleep-which alcohol suppresses-intrudes upon other sleep stages, depriving your body of deep rest. You end up sleeping in fragments and waking often in the early-morning hours.
7. Go for quality, not just quantity. Six hours of good, solid sleep can make you feel more rested than eight hours of light or disturbed sleep. Limiting the time you spend in bed to what you need and no more, deepens sleep; allowing yourself to doze on and off for many hours leads to lighter, more fragmented sleep. Don't feel that you have to log eight hours. If five hours are enough to recharge your battery, consider yourself lucky. You're not an insomniac, just a naturally short sleeper.
8. Set aside a worry or planning time early in the evening. If you lie in bed thinking of what you should have done during the day or have to do the next day, try to deal with such distractions before getting into bed. Make lists so you don't feel you have to keep reminding yourself of things to do. Write out anxieties or worries and possible solutions. If daytime distractions follow you into bed, tell yourself you'll deal with them during the next day's worry time.
9. Don't go to bed stuffed or starved. A big meal late at night forces your digestive system to work overtime. While you may feel drowsy initially, you'll probably toss and turn through the night. Avoid peanuts, beans, fruits or raw vegetables that can cause gas. And stay away from snacks (like pastries or potato chips) that are high in fat -- they take longer to digest.
But if you're dieting, don't go to bed hungry. A rumbling stomach, like any other physical discomfort, interferes with your ability to settle down and slumber through the night. Have a low-calorie snack, such as a banana or apple, before turning in.

10. Develop a sleep ritual. Before you can slide into sleep, you've got to leave behind the distractions of the waking world. Even very young children find it easier to make the transition into sleep if they repeat a few activities, such as saying prayers or reading a story, every night.
Your sleep ritual can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose. It might start with some gentle stretches to release knots of tension in your muscles or with a warm bath. Maybe you like to listen to some quiet music or curl up with a not-too-thrilling book. Whatever you choose, be sure to do the some things every evening until they become cues for your body to settle down for the night.