- What is the danger of sleeping face down or belly up
- Best sleeping position
- How to sleep more comfortable
During pregnancy, after the belly starts to grow, and especially after the 4th month, it is not recommended to sleep on your back or face down, but it is also not recommended to stay in the same position all night.
Thus, from the second trimester of pregnancy, it is better for the pregnant woman to sleep only on her side, being able to use different pillows to support her legs and belly to feel more comfortable and thus ensure good blood circulation, which is important to ensure the safety and good development of the baby.
What is the danger of sleeping face down or belly up
After the belly starts to grow, besides being more uncomfortable sleeping on your stomach, this can increase the woman's difficulty in breathing. This is also true for the belly-up position, as the weight of the uterus can press the breathing muscles. In addition, the weight of the belly can also hinder the passage of blood through the arteries of the hip region, which increases the risk of hemorrhoids, as well as swelling of the legs and the tingling sensation in the feet.
Thus, it is relatively common for the pregnant woman, who is sleeping on her back, to wake up shortly after being in this position, since it is much more uncomfortable. Still, and although it may be uncomfortable for the woman, this position does not pose any problem for the developing baby, and should not be a cause for concern if you wake up in that position, even after falling asleep on your side.
Best sleeping position
The best position to sleep in pregnancy is to sleep on your side, preferably on the left side. This is because, sleeping facing the right side can slightly decrease the amount of blood that circulates to the placenta, reducing the amount of blood, oxygen and nutrients that reaches the baby. Although it is not a great decrease in blood, it may be safer to sleep on the left side, which is the side of the heart, because that way the blood flows better through the vena cava and the uterine vein.
In addition, sleeping on the left side also improves the functioning of the kidneys, which causes a greater elimination of toxic substances that will accumulate in the body of the pregnant woman.
How to sleep more comfortable
The best way to sleep more comfortably during pregnancy is to use pillows to support your body and belly weight. A simple way for women who prefer to sleep on their backs is to place pillows on their back to sleep in a slightly sitting position, which relieves the weight of the belly and also prevents reflux.
In the case of sleeping on the side, the pillows can also be good allies, since a pillow can be placed under the belly to better support the weight and another between the legs, to make the position more comfortable.
Another option is to change the bed for a comfortable and reclining chair, where the pregnant woman can keep her back slightly higher, reducing the weight of the uterus on the organs, veins and muscles of breathing.
