What Happens If You Don’t Get Enough Sleep During Pregnancy? - John Carson, D.D.S. (2024)

FAQs

What Happens If You Don’t Get Enough Sleep During Pregnancy? - John Carson, D.D.S.? ›

If you don't get enough sleep while you're pregnant, you might find that the physical discomforts of pregnancy as well as the mental stress are more difficult to cope with. In addition, you may have a higher risk for conditions like preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, both of which may be fatal without proper care.

Lack of sleep is more than an inconvenience. New research suggests that women who don't get enough sleep during pregnancy may have higher risks of developing pregnancy complications including: Preeclampsia, or high blood pressure. Gestational diabetes.

Insomnia during pregnancy can cause bad effects as follows: Children are prone to anemia From 11pm to 3am is the time when the body produces red blood cells. If you often lose sleep, it will affect the blood circulation process, making the fetus prone to anemia right from the time it is in the mother's womb.

Undernutrition can lead to many pregnancy-related complications, including poor fetal growth, low birth weight, and maternal weight loss. It's also associated with lower mental function and behavioral problems in children ( 29 , 30 , 31 ).

Specifically, women who are sleep deprived during pregnancy may experience longer labor, more pain and discomfort during labor, higher rates of preterm labor and cesarean section.

Between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each day is recommended at the age most women find themselves pregnant. (Genetics and quality of sleep can affect these numbers, but this is a good general guideline for how much shut-eye is needed.)

So, the tried and true eight hours of sleep wisdom still holds. Research has found that women getting less than seven hours of sleep are 15% less likely to get pregnant than women who got seven to eight hours.

Sleep loss, and sleep apnea in particular, can also have a direct effect on your baby's future health. Women with untreated sleep apnea are more likely to have children who suffer from metabolic syndrome, and the recurring loss of oxygen during sleep may also lead to developmental disabilities in children.

Second and Third Trimester

During the third trimester, the majority of women have sleep difficulties. Less than 2% report no nocturnal awakenings.

Feeling tired will not harm you or your baby, but it can make life feel more difficult, especially in the early days before you've told people about your pregnancy.

Is 1500 calories a day enough when pregnant? ›

For most normal-weight pregnant women, the right amount of calories is: About 1,800 calories per day during the first trimester. About 2,200 calories per day during the second trimester. About 2,400 calories per day during the third trimester.

Infants born to mothers who are depressed during pregnancy are more irritable, less active, and more likely to experience developmental delays. Prenatal depression also raises the risk of postpartum depression, and the infant's health and growth may be harmed if the mother is depressed for an extended period.

Women who engage in disordered eating behaviors while pregnant, such as caloric restriction, extreme exercising, or dieting behaviors, risk consequences for their developing baby, such as birth defects, prematurity, congenital malformations and even prenatal death.

As a result, there is an increased risk of premature delivery, growth restriction, and potential for health problems in, or death of, the newborn infant. For many people, these issues may persist into the first few weeks after delivery, especially because the child's nighttime feedings may continue sleep fragmentation.

Insufficient sleep means not getting enough sleep at night, which can cause several problems including decreased brain development, learning problems and more frequent negative emotions. It can also contribute to weight management problems, growth issues and increased frequency of illnesses.

Sleep deprivation especially during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy dramatically increase the inflammatory response and trophoblast invasion in the uterus (26). The fact that snoring and difficulty breathing cause sleep deprivation, it can be concluded that low sleep quality can lead to abortion (27).

Taking care of yourself and your baby is vital for your family's mental and physical health! And the answer to the question of how many hours should a pregnant woman sleep is as close to eight to 10 hours as she can. Follow the tips on this list to get as much sleep as possible while you're pregnant.

Just do your best to spend at least eight hours in bed with the aim of getting as much sleep as you can. If you find yourself only getting seven hours of sleep each night, don't get discouraged — just do what feels right for your body and your baby, and everything will be fine.

Exercise can help you feel less tired, so try to do some activity, such as a walk at lunchtime or going swimming, even if you feel tired during the day. If lack of sleep is bothering you, talk to your partner, a friend, doctor or midwife. Read about sleep problems and insomnia on the Every Mind Matters website.