Sleep the best remedy

Remember the days you overflowed with liquid love for your spouse? The days you daydreamed of becoming mummy? The many times you told yourself, ‘I will have my own children and give them everything I never had .. .’ Until you discovered you were pregnant … Now those memories are becoming distant as you face the pregnancy season in real life.

Pregnancy is meant to be enjoyed. However, for most 21st century women, challenges throw them totally off balance, making them feel unattractive. Still, amazingly, one of the best remedies during pregnancy is SLEEP.

Did you know that we spend a third of our entire lives asleep? Yet most people are sleep-deficient. Millions of men and women the world over suffer from sleep disorders. A significant percentage of pregnant women have disturbed sleep when compared to their pre-pregnancy state. Yet sleep is a basic human need that is as important for good health as is diet and exercise. You cannot short-change sleep and get away with it.

WHY SLEEP?
The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation.
2. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to sleep lapses at daytime which cause falls, road accidents, medical errors and air traffic mishaps.
3. Mood: Sleep loss results in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, moodiness and fatigue.
4. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels and irregular heartbeat.
5. Disease: Sleep helps boost immunity and increase immune function.
6. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates and by altering levels of hormones that affect our

Did you know there are 5 LEVELS OF SLEEP?
Evaluate yourself with these:

Stage 1: Here, the brain begins to slow down. This is a transition period between wakefulness and sleep. It is a light sleep that lasts 5 to 10 minutes. One may experience sensations of falling, sudden muscle contractions, sudden startling and easy awakening.

Stage 2: The brain waves become slower, but with occasional bursts of rapid waves. Body temperature and heart rate decrease and eye movement stops. This about 20 minutes.

Stage 3: Deep, slow brain waves emerge but interspersed with smaller, faster waves. It is a transitional period between light sleep and very deep sleep.

Stage 4: Slow brain waves occur. It is a deep sleep that lasts about 30 minutes. Bed-wetting and sleepwalking occur here.

Stage 5: Also rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Eyes jerk rapidly, limb muscles are temporarily paralysed. Brain waves, breathing, heart rate and blood pressure increase. Dreaming occurs here due to increased brain activity. We enter REM sleep approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep.

Sleep During Pregnancy

• Establish a regular eight-hour sleep time and wake-up pattern. No more, no less. Short daytime naps also work wonders.
• Sleeping positions: Side-sleeping is the best sleeping position for you and baby throughout your pregnancy. It relieves pressure from your liver and kidneys, improves blood and nutrient circulation, increases blood flow to the foetus and decreases swelling, effectively expels waste products and excess fluid, reduces swelling and water retention, improves digestion, reduces risk of haemorrhoids relieves nausea and is more comfortable for tender breasts. Practice early on how to sleep on your left hand side with your knees slightly bent.
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet during the day, including 6-8 glasses of water. Finish eating at least two hours before bedtime. Milk or herbal fluids may help to relax.
• Avoid stimulants such as tea, caffeine and alcohol that interrupt sleep. Avoid eating heavy, oily or spicy meals late in the evening as they cause heartburn or indigestion, especially in the 3rd trimester. If you are hungry, snacking on banana or some crackers will do.
• Reduce your fluid intake before your bedtime. Take a toilet trip before you sleep.
• Unwind at least one hour before going to bed.
• You cannot sleep well if you are ruminating things over.
• Create a sleep-conducive environment: Uncrowd your bedroom by removing appliances e.g. TV from it. Have comfortable bed and bedding. Ensure the room is quiet, dark and cool. Wear comfortable night-wear that allows your skin to breathe and your body to grow. Relaxing techniques e.g. massage help get rid of stretch marks too.
• Keep a regular exercise regimen throughout pregnancy, but with doctor’s permission. Avoid vigorous exercise just before sleeping. In the 3rd trimester, exercise your calf muscles before sleeping to relax legs. “
• Sex is good for you! His deposit is loaded with vitamin E that’s good for skin, nails and hair!
• Have a warm bath or shower. Warmth induces sleep.
• If you don’t sleep in10 minutes, getup and do something else e.g. reading a book, until you feel sleepy.
• There is little you can do about your baby’s kicks when they come – just relax and enjoy them!
• If you still have trouble sleeping when all is said and done, consult your doctor

END: PG 37 /30-31