Why am I having insomnia while I’m pregnant?
Sleeping problems are incredibly common during pregnancy. There are so many changes happening in your body - your hormones are shifting and you’re literally building a new life. You’re also likely starting to think more about what life will be like with a baby. And also perhaps what life will be like for your baby as they grow and reach adulthood. All of these changes can bring on sleeping challenges.
Just how common is insomnia during pregnancy?
The frequency of insomnia symptoms increases across the course of pregnancy, with 25% of women in their first trimester reporting difficulty with falling and/or staying asleep all the way up to ~40% of women in their third trimester. Clearly, insomnia is a huge issue for many women. So why don’t we talk about it more?
Many people expect sleep to be poor during pregnancy, and they aren’t entirely wrong. Hormonal changes during the first trimester mean you’re going to wake up more frequently to urinate at night. By the third trimester, your baby’s size has increased so much that this will lead to more frequent urination at night. You may also wake from your baby’s movements at night, discomforts, aches, pains, and as labor nears, from contractions. Waking from sleep due to these types of things is expected. That does not mean that we expect a woman or birthing person to experience insomnia disorder though. What’s the difference between these, you might ask? In the scenario where pregnancy symptoms are directly leading to trouble sleeping, the wakings are briefer. If you wake to use the bathroom, you can return to sleep relatively quickly. In the scenario where someone is experiencing insomnia disorder though, pregnancy symptoms may still be the cause of the wake-ups, but then you remain awake. For example, you may toss and turn for an hour unable to return to sleep after waking up to urinate. Your mind gets going, and you start thinking about your baby, the state of the world, or how you or your baby’s health may be impacted by your trouble sleeping. These are signs of insomnia disorder, and while still very common during pregnancy, are not symptoms that we should just expect and power through.
So what can I do if I’m experiencing insomnia disorder while pregnant?
The good news is, insomnia is treatable! Even during pregnancy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia can be used, and have been adapted to be gentler during pregnancy. While these treatments can’t get rid of all of your pregnancy-related wake-ups (e.g., waking to pee), they can help decrease the amount of time you’re awake tossing and turning. Need another reason to treat your insomnia? Treating your insomnia during pregnancy can also likely help to prevent postpartum depression.
About Dr. Liz Culnan | Denver, CO & Chicago, IL
Dr. Liz Culnan is a licensed clinical health psychologist with specialized training in the areas of perinatal/reproductive mental health and behavioral sleep medicine. She is passionate about supporting women through reproductive and life transitions. Learn more here.
Other services offered at Mindful Health Psychology:
Mindful Health Psychology is a practice offering online therapy for Denver, CO, Chicago, IL and beyond in the states of Colorado and Illinois. We specialize in therapy for anxiety, depression, depression and anxiety during pregnancy, postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, coping with miscarriage and pregnancy loss, PMDD, coping with fertility-related stressors, birth trauma, coping with a chronic medical condition, insomnia, nightmares, circadian rhythm disorders, and hypersomnia disorders. We provide online therapy, making treatment more accessible, which means you can be located in Denver, Chicago, or another city in Colorado or Illinois to receive services.