Pregnancy and Sleep

Pregnancy affects every aspect of your body--and sleep is no exception. Here are the most important things you need to know about sleep during pregnancy.

1. How your sleep patterns affect your baby

Good news: even if your future bundle of joy is keeping you up at night, your baby is experiencing no such qualms. Babies' sleep patterns are separate from the mother's. In fact, at 8 months, babies in the womb sleep up to 95% of the time¹! So even if your nightime sleep patterns are fragmented, your baby should be sleeping fine. 

However, if a mother's sleep deprivation gets so bad that it negatively impacts her overall health, her baby could suffer. If expecting women don't get enough sleep, their immune systems become weak, which has been shown to put babies at risk for birth complications such as lower-weight births². 

Why it matters: Sleeping enough during pregnancy is important to keep your own health up, so you are strong and rested enough to carry your baby. 

2. Yup, you're going to be tired. 

Over 3/4 of women report disturbed sleep during pregnancy³. According to the National Sleep Foundation, this can come from a variety of sources: 

• In the first trimester, increased progesterone levels can cause daytime sleepiness. 
• Pregnancy can put you at greater risk for certain sleep disorders (see below). 
• Discomforts like heartburn, morning sickness, and a growing belly makes it hard to sleep.
• Stress or excitement about being a new mother can keep you up.
• You're growing a human--that takes a lot of energy! 

Why it matters: It's important to recognize that your sleep will be disturbed during pregnancy, and, to some extent, this is normal. It's also important to compensate by making sleep a priority.

3. Sleep apnea risk increases during pregnancy, and it's serious. 

About 10% of women develop obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) during pregnancy. Mothers with OSA also have higher incidences of pregestational diabetes and preeclampsia⁴. 

The presence of obstructive sleep apnea in the mother can have serious effects on the health of the baby. One study conducted on 175 pregnant women found that 46% of babies born to mothers with OSA were admitted to the NICU, whereas only 18% of babies of healthy mothers were admitted. Also, 65% of mothers with OSA required a C-section, versus only 33% of healthy mothers⁵. Read more about the study here.

Many studies--such as this one--have confirmed that sleep apnea in mothers is correlated to negative birth outcomes. 

Why it matters: For the health of your baby, it is vital to screen for sleep apnea early in the pregnancy. The symptoms of sleep apnea are essentially the same for pregnant women. Talk to your doctor about sleep apnea during pregnancy to make sure that you are sleeping healthily. 

Read more about sleep apnea during pregnancy. 

4. You may experience other sleep disturbances. 

Another sleep disorder that is common during pregnancy is Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)--a condition where you have a creeping sensation in your legs that only be quelled by moving them. Nearly a third of expectant mothers experience RLS⁶, and most cases dissappear after birth. Learn more about RLS during pregnancy and how to mitigate the symptoms here. 

Pregnant women may also experience the need to urinate frequently at night or experience nocturnal heartburn. 

Why it matters: These factors may disrupt your sleep quality, so it is important to make getting enough sleep a priority. 

5. It is VITAL to prioritize sleep during pregnancy. 

With so many concerns vying for your attention during pregnancy, and so many physical changes happening to your body, some changes to your sleep patterns are unavoidable. That's why it's more important than ever to make sleep a priority. Make sure you are getting the recommended 8 hours per night. Listen to your body and nap when possible. Your body, and your baby, will thank you. 

Back to sleep education

Sources: 

1) "Baby's Alertness in the Womb." Parents.com.

2) Michele L. Okun, et al. "Disturbed Sleep and Inflammatory Cytokines in Depressed and Nondepressed Pregnant Women: An Exploratory Analysis of Pregnancy Outcomes." Reported in Science Daily. 

3) 1998 Women and Sleep poll. National Sleep Foundation.

4) Lockhart, Ellen M. MD et al. "Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Pregnancy: Assessment of Current Screening Tools." Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

5) Judette Louis, MD, MPH, et al. "Perinatal Outcomes Associated with Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Pregnant Women." Pubmed Central.

6) Minar M., et al. "Prevalence and impact of restless leg syndrome in pregnancy." Pubmed Central.