Beating Insomnia in Pregnancy

Insomnia in Pregnancy: A Treatable Condition

Many pregnant women find themselves waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or struggling to find a comfortable sleep position. While mildly disrupted sleep is common and bothersome, it’s essential to distinguish it from insomnia, a more serious problem that affects over 20% of women during pregnancy.

As clinical health psychologists, we often hear about women resorting to expensive sleep products or taking herbal remedies in the hopes of improving their sleep. Unfortunately, the benefits of these interventions are often fleeting. The use of pharmacological treatments is increasingly discouraged, and pregnant women are reluctant to take sleeping medication due to concerns about its impact on their developing baby.

The good news is that there is a highly effective behavioral treatment available: cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). This structured program helps replace unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that cause insomnia or worsen sleep problems, addressing the underlying causes of sleep issues with habits and thoughts that lead to deeper sleep.

CBT-I can be delivered in person, in a group, or over the internet. Within four to five weeks of participating in therapy, most people experience the benefits of treatment. Unlike medications, sleep problems typically don’t return when the therapy is complete.

There are comprehensive books and resources available about using CBT-I, including resources for those who would like to learn more. Many of the sleep practices involved in this therapy are simple and can be implemented at home today, with lasting impacts beyond pregnancy. Additionally, many of these practices can help equip you with tools that will also help your children sleep well as they grow older.

Keep Track of Your Sleep

One of the most common and effective sleep hygiene strategies is to set a regular sleep schedule. This is particularly true for setting a regular wake-up time, as there is no reason to crawl into bed if you don’t feel sleepy.

Maintaining your standard wake time can serve as a hard reset of your biological rhythms. Your body will get used to waking up and falling asleep at a certain time, making mornings much easier. Your sleep and wake cycles are controlled by hormones, and those particular hormones love a good routine.

By setting your wake-up time to be around the same every morning, you are helping your body re-establish better sleep. Another method of improving sleep is tracking it. We know from weight-loss and smoking-cessation research that simply keeping track of a behavior leads humans to adjust it.

Start by keeping a record of your sleep using a paper sleep journal or an app. The point of tracking is to notice patterns so that you can begin to use what you learn to adjust your behaviors to improve sleep.

Use Your Bed Only for Sleep

One of the key reasons sleep therapy works is to use your bed only for sleep. Our brains are learning machines. We can teach them to sleep when we get into bed, or we can teach them to do other things – like worry. It all depends on what we actually do when we get into bed.

Unfortunately, the bed can become ground zero for a thousand other activities ranging from reading your iPhone, replaying yesterday’s arguments, or worrying about tomorrow’s meetings. So, things not associated with sleep (worrying, phones, tablets) should be scrubbed from your bedroom. Remember, you can just as easily scroll Instagram from your couch. If you’re in your bed and not sleeping for more than 15 minutes at any point in the night, get up and do something boring until you feel sleepy.

Insomnia in Pregnancy is Treatable

Changing sleep habits can be hard, so draw on your social support. Pregnant women often share their beds with partners, other children, and even pets. It’s essential to get clear on the strategies you are going to try.

Having a plan about who will get your toddler a drink of water in the middle of the night or when the electronics need to be turned off is essential. The time to have these conversations is not at 3 a.m. – plan ahead!

In the end, insomnia in pregnancy is a treatable condition. Women with more serious insomnia also need access to online or in-person sleep resources as they transition to parenthood – something that our research group is currently trying to solve.

Conclusion

Insomnia in pregnancy is a common but treatable condition. By using cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, setting a regular sleep schedule, tracking your sleep, and using your bed only for sleep, you can improve your sleep and overall well-being during pregnancy.

FAQs

Q: How common is insomnia during pregnancy?
A: Insomnia during pregnancy affects over 20% of women.

Q: What is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)?
A: CBT-I is a structured program that helps replace unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that cause insomnia or worsen sleep problems.

Q: How long does CBT-I typically take?
A: CBT-I can be delivered in four to five weeks, and most people experience the benefits of treatment within this timeframe.

Q: Can I use CBT-I after pregnancy?
A: Yes, many of the sleep practices involved in CBT-I can be implemented at home today, with lasting impacts beyond pregnancy.