5 Remarkable Ways To Get Better Sleep During The Last Months Of Pregnancy.

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The last few months of your pregnancy can be challenging for a number of reasons. As your expectations build, your excitement reaches its peak. Your mind will be at its wits end as you come to terms with all the stress involved. Your body will be reeling from the changes it has gone through. One thing which every pregnant woman simply cannot do without is adequate sleep. A lack of sleep can make the last few months of your pregnancy an absolute torture. Lack of sleep can have serious consequences, up to and including miscarriages. To ensure you're getting enough sleep, we've got five tips to help you sleep better.

1. Sleep On Your Side
During the last few months of pregnancy, there is a lot of pressure on your abdomen. Sleeping on your back can be uncomfortable, as well as ineffective in releasing stress from that region. If you sleep on your side, you will relieve a lot of pressure from your uterus and should be able to breathe easier. This position will also reduce backaches. Sleeping on your side will not only ensure you get a good night’s sleep, but is also good for your baby. Studies conducted by the American Pregnancy Association have found that sleeping on your left side can improve the flow of blood and nutrients to your baby.

2. Keep Yourself Cool
During pregnancy, a woman's core body temperature gradually increases. Towards the last few months of the pregnancy, it can cause a lot of discomfort. This will also lead to a lack of sleep. If your room is hot, you are compounding your problems. Try and get your room to a cooler temperature. Depending on where you're from, a temperature of 15 to 25 degrees celsius is ideal. This will help you sleep longer and in comfort.

3. Ensure Your Bed Is Comfortable
Your spine is under a lot of stress during the last few months of pregnancy. To ensure you are as comfortable as possible, your mattress needs to offer adequate support so that you don't wake up with aches and pains. You can also use pillows to elevate your body. Pick pillows that are not too soft as they need to offer adequate support.

4. Keep Distractions To A Minimum
If you have the habit of reading a book, or binge watching your favourite TV show in bed, you're going to have trouble sleeping. This will make it harder for you to fall asleep. Perhaps the biggest culprit in this is your mobile phone. Always playing a game, or messaging people on your phone will make it hard for your mind to switch off and relax.

5. Take Short Naps
Having a nap or two during the day is good and can help you relax. However make sure they don't exceed 30 minutes each. According to doctors, anything longer than that puts your brain into deep sleep mode. This means you will wake up a few hours later feeling lethargic. It will also become harder for you to fall asleep in the night.

Research has found that pregnant women with less than five hours of sleep a day are more prone to the risk of pregnancy complications than their counterparts who get between right to ten hours of sleep. It leads to a rise in blood pressure and can cause a discrepancy in the hormones being produced in the mother's body.

A mother-to-be would no doubt want to avoid taking any risks with her baby’s life. Thus, it's important for you to get as much sleep as possible. Hopefully, these five simple tips will help you get all the sleep you need to ensure you and your baby are healthy and happy.