The last thing wanted during pregnancy is difficulty getting to sleep, stress, or insomnia. This is why prioritizing relaxation in the lead up to bed is essential to falling asleep quickly and improved quality of sleep.
Here are my top tips to relax during pregnancy before sleep:
Create a relaxing environment
A calm environment before bed is important to relax your nervous system. It’s no wonder we have trouble sleeping when the lead up to bed involves bright lights, a blaring TV, and a scary Netflix episode!
Since candlelight is conducive to relaxation, place candles around your living room, and use this as your light source. If candles aren’t an option for you, dim the lights or use lamps. Not only does candlelight promote relaxation, but darkness stimulates the production of melatonin – the hormone we need to go to sleep. Artificial light, on the other hand, suppresses melatonin production, increases alertness and sleep onset latency.
Relaxing music and diffusing lavender oils are other ways to create a calming environment and improve the quality of sleep.
Have an Epsom salt bath
Who doesn’t love a bath?! Especially when you can add Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate), which have been thought to relieve muscle tension and promote relaxation – two benefits we desperately need during pregnancy! Just make sure the bath is warm and not too hot, as you don’t want to increase your temperature too much before bed.
Meditation or breathing practice
We live in such a fast-paced world these days, add a growing baby to this, and there is no wonder the mind of a pregnant woman is in overdrive. If you can take between 5-20 minutes every night to do a meditation or breathing practice, it has been shown to calm your mind, increase melatonin levels, and improve your quality of sleep.
In addition to this, meditation in pregnancy has positive effects on the health of your newborn – what more incentive do you need?!
To find a meditation that works for you, Insight Timer is a great free app with a variety of meditations.
Go offline
No doubt you’ve heard this tip before, but that’s because turning off technology really does work! Putting your laptop away and your phone on airplane mode an hour before bed will help relax you, remove distractions and set you up for a good night's sleep.
The last thing our brain needs before sleep is stimulation from social media scrolling, googling, or texting. Not only this, but our devices emit blue light which tells our brain it’s daytime! If you have to use your iPhone past 8pm then put it on “night shift” or buy blue light glasses.
Keep conversation light
Nighttime, especially getting into bed, is not the time to start a heavy conversation with your partner! Make sure you both have an understanding that before bed and in the bedroom, the conversation needs to be light and loving. It isn’t the time to talk finances or bring up that issue that’s been bothering you.
Write down anything that is worrying you
So that your mind is in a relaxed state for going to sleep, I suggest writing down anything that is bothering you or anything pressing you have to do the next day. This helps to get the topic out of your head so you don’t stew over it whilst trying to fall asleep.
Stretching
A gentle stretching routine before bed helps to relax your muscles and is a time to mindfully focus on your breath.
During pregnancy, pelvic, back, or hip pain, and leg cramps during the night are very common. To prevent this from interfering with your sleep, commit to a stretching regime every night. Here is a series of safe stretches to do before bed during your pregnancy.
Magnesium supplement
A good quality magnesium supplement before bed helps to relax your muscles, support healthy sleep patterns, and reduce leg cramps full during the night.
I recommend the supplement Bioceuticals Ultramuscleze Night, which is safe to take before sleep during pregnancy. Otherwise speak to your Integrated Doctor, Nutritionist, or Naturopath about an appropriate supplement for you.
Enjoy a chamomile tea
A cup of chamomile tea in the lead up to bed has a calming effect on the body and is a sleep-inducer.
Reading
We all know that reading makes us tired, so why don’t we do it more often?! Trade the TV for an old fashioned book and read a few pages or chapter before turning the light off in bed.
Establish a bedtime routine
Once you work out which of the above strategies relax you the most, implement these each night in a specific order so you establish a bedtime routine. Doing so consistently will further prepare you for sleep by association.