I Cannot Sleep Help!

Just keep trying to spin the wheel...is it too hot or too cold in the bedroom? Does the thermostat need to be adjusted or do I need to take off or put on the covers? Am I thirsty or hungry? Do I need to go to the bathroom? Do I need an extra pillow?

For some reason, I need a little "white noise" going on in the room for me to sleep better. We have a small fan and a cool mist humidifier. The doctors office suggested the humidifier when I was pregnant because my nose always seemed "plugged up" when I was pregnant.

Good luck!

I had similar problems during pregnancy and my husband reccomended Unison (the plain, basic one). He is a doctor and very very picky about what I could take, so even things that said that they were safe for pregnancy, he said were not a good idea.

Unison worked great and I still take it every once in a while, but I would also check with your doctor.

my midwife & ob had me on UNISOM during my last pregnancy to help alleviate nausea. it is, however, a sleeping pill! so it is okay to take when pregnant & i slept like a LOG. in fact, i could only take half of it b/c it was so effective at helping me sleep (as well as not being nauseous). try it!

From a fellow light sleeper fellow/insomniac, sometimes depression is a cause of sleeplessness. I really had to re do my bedroom,meaning no tv in the room just a bed. Very dark curtains so no light a white noise like a fan on low to block out stupid neighbors.I tried classical music, but it didn't help. One night by accident my radio was on a classic rock station with old slow music from the 80s it put me to sleep after 3 songs, what joy. Sometimes a nice relaxing hand rubbing your back will calm you down so you can sleep, I dont think i slept when i was pregnant, so i took naps when i was so tired id just lay down until i was rested. Sometimes 3 hours is all your going to get so make the best of it.

Whenever I can't sleep, I head for the family room couch with my bedpillow and a blanket. Without turning any lights on, I set a timer for as long as I can. (99 minutes on our microwave) Then I turn on the TV to something mildly interesting (HGTV for me) but keep the volume very low. It keeps my mind from spinning in circles of pointless worries, but I have to work just a little to hear it. I never make it through a whole show. When the timer wakes me, I grope my way back to bed to wake to my morning alarm.

SOme of my ideas are not ideal but they worked for me. My husband would rub my feet and that helped me relax to go to sleep. I slept in a recliner towards the end because it helped support the different areas of my body that were uncomfortable. Other ideas would be body pillows that be used to support different areas and they come in all different sizes. I hope things get better for you.

Believe it or not here a few old time remedies that will help some, a cup of warm milk before bed or Tension Tamer tea, there are several other teas you can use as well, if I can remember them I will let you know. After about 9 pm do not watch action or horror movies or read that type of book. And reading light comedy books or dumb predictable romances will help you relax until you fall asleep with the book in hand or cuddle down for the night.

You mentioned TWO things that are symptoms of dehydration......bags under you eyes and lack of sleep. You need to get at LEAST 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily. Anything w/ caffeine (which I hope you're not doing, anyway....and shouldn't) DONT count, since caffeine is a diuretic.

Also.......might want to figure out if certain foods add to this problem. Your body can respond differently to things when you're pregnant, so just try and be aware of what you eat and how you sleep and/or react.

Lastly, I'd get a copy of PAIN FREE WOMEN. It takes you thru EVERY phase of pregnancy and will help you with positions that are more comfortable, help discomfort, etc. You should be able to find at the EGOSCUE website online OR even on Amazon. Author is Pete Egoscue

I am not sure if you are comfortable. But when I was pregnant I had a hard time sleeping because I could only sleep on my side once I got to 5 months pregnant. I am a stomach sleeper. My brother bought me a Snoogle, which is a pillow that you can buy at Babies r Us. I was able to sleep much better!

I was in the hospital on bed rest for the last month or so of my pregnancy. Sleeping was definitely an issue, as I was uncomfortable, and not all that tired after just laying in bed all day. Not to mention that the little peppercorn was partying every night at 2 am. To my surprise, the hospital recommended that I take Ambient every night. It allowed me to get good sleep and I never woke up drowsy. I don;t like medications, but I kinda thought of it as my chance to catch up on some good sleep before the baby arrived... Not that it really makes that much difference later, but I thought it might...

the only thing that worked with my daughter was, nuke milk in a coffee cup for 2 minutes, then drop a cinnamon stick in it & stir it around for a few minutes, then drink. i did that around 6-7 pm and was able to sleep at 4-6 hours intervals. just don't drink camomil tea, it can cause serious problems for your baby. congradulations! & good luck.

I was like that with my first baby. I didn't sleep more than a couple hours a night from the 3rd month on. I wish I had something that would help, but it sounds like you've tried everything. This is probably your body's way of preparing you for the sleeplessness that comes with a newborn. I would say keep trying to go to bed early. And nap on the weekends if you can so that you can get a little more sleep! Good luck!

Warning you sound just like me. All I did with my oldest was sleep and eat. With the youngest I was like the energiser bunny and I was suppose to not even run the sweeper. I was diabetic and my sugar levels were so low I was killing him and didn't know it. But he also was very active in utero. He did cartwheels. Hurt like crazy and kept me up. There honestly wasn't much I could do about it and they refused to give me a mild sleeping pill for fear he would die and I would not know before it was too late. I had non stress tests 2 times a week and was to lay on my left side and count the movement 3 times a day and keep a chart so I would know when to get to the hospital. He din't sleep at night when we came home. He didn't sleep much during the day ither. So since hubby was laid off he did the nightly duty walking rocking and putting him in bed to feed so I could be awake and handle all with the oldest. Greg still has a closer bond with Dad than me and has Dad wrapped around his finger.

Hi T. - I know exactly how you feel. Been there - done that - twice myself. Try chamomile tea (you can try it with honey too) before you go to bed - if that doesn't work then there is a natural homeopathic tablet I use to take. check out www.hyland.com and they sell an insomnia tablet - both the tea and the tablet worked wonders for me. I am all about Natural stuff these days !! Hope that helps. Just think about the light at the end of the tunnel !!

I have to agree with Jennifer, a body pillow worked great for me. If its comfort what is not letting you sleep than definitely try this.

Good luck

Have you tried a body pillow? I couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep without one when I was pregnant.

Also, Tylenol PM is listed as 'safe during pregnancy', and it really works. I would still recommend you check with your doctor before you take it, but at this stage in your pregnancy, I'm guessing your lack of sleep is far worse for your baby than a little Tylenol!!

Sweet dreams...

I had problems sleeping too. I found the most comfortable place to be the couch with a ton of pillows. Also, you may check with your dr. to see if you can take any Tylenol PM. My sister in law took it while she was pregnant because she had insomnia too. But check with your dr. first.