We all know how important sleep can be for your body and mind, particularly when you’ve got a big day ahead of you. But when you’re pregnant, EVERY day is a big day, and you have an extra body and mind to provide for!
Tracking your sleep during pregnancy can give you a great indication of how healthily your pregnancy is going, any effects sleep might have on your symptoms, and how the hours you doze might affect Baby.
Sleep and general health
Pregnant or not, sleep can be an excellent indicator of your general health. We’ve always heard the old “8 hours” recommendation, but everybody is different, so people need varying amounts of sleep. However, most people require between 6.5-8 hours a night to get fully rested and recovered.
Getting too much sleep could be a sign of depression, or simply inactivity, both of which should be dealt with if you are pregnant. Getting too few hours of sleep may be a sign of stress, poor nutritional habits, or another underlying condition, and can really wreak havoc within the body and result in elevated blood pressure, among other dangerous effects.
Tracking your sleep with Ovia to make sure it’s within a healthy range is a great way to monitor your general health while pregnant.
Sleep and your symptoms
You’ll probably face a bunch of pesky pregnancy symptoms over the course of these nine months. Some you’ll be able to treat with Tylenol, some with ice, and some with exercise, but one of the most effective ways to treat lots of pregnancy symptoms is with sleep, as your body is more able to prevent and treat your symptoms if you get plenty of Zs.
Tracking your sleep on a nightly basis is a great way to ensure that you stay well rested, and by tracking with Ovia, you’ll also be able to track the appearance of symptoms against the amount of sleep you’re getting, to figure out if there may be a connection, and proceed accordingly.
Sleep and Baby
As all parents find out in the days and weeks and months after your bundle of joy arrives, babies sure do love to sleep! Babies and pregnant moms don’t usually sleep at the same time – in fact, your daily movements can gently rock them to sleep – so Baby’s sleep isn’t dependent upon yours, but your sleep can definitely impact their health.
Reviewed by Dr. Jamie Lo
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Sources
- “Pregnancy & Sleep.” National Sleep Foundation. National Sleep Foundation, n.d. Web.
- “Sleeping By The Trimesters.” Sleep Foundation. National Sleep Foundation, n.d. Web.
- Karin Bilich. “Baby’s Alertness in the Womb.” Parents Magazine. American Baby, 11/2/2015. Web.
