I have always gone through periods of time during each pregnancy when I struggled with insomnia, even though I never do when I'm not pregnant.  I hate it! I could be DEAD tired, and lay there for an hour or more before being able to fall asleep. Then I inevitably wake up shortly thereafter to use the bathroom, and lay there for another forever before being able to fall asleep again!

 

Well, this last pregnancy I was recommended an herbal solution by my midwife. It is also mentioned by Shonda Parker in her excellent book, The Naturally Healthy Pregnancy, which I highly recommend, by the way.

 

Anyway, the herb is called Valerian root. I took it 30-45 minutes before going to bed, and was able to fall asleep much faster and sleep more soundly. Studies have even shown that it reduces the feeling of sleepiness in the morning - probably because you actually slept at night!

 

It is not habit forming, is inexpensive, and readily available at health food stores or online. Shonda Parker's book recommends the dosage of 150-300mg capsules. I just have to warn you that they stink! :-)

 

The other main thing that seems to affect my sleep during pregnancy is foot or leg cramps. Taking a good quality calcium supplement just before bed eliminated these effectively. If you are already taking a calcium supplement, consider taking it before bed instead of in the morning.  Also note that red raspberry leaf tea is very high in calcium. When I was regularly drinking my tea and taking calcium before bed, I had NO leg cramps.  On a trip, I forgot my calcium and was not making my RRL tea, and I started getting cramps again! Once we had been home a couple days and I got back on my stuff, they went away again. :)

 

Now, if I could just figure out a way to not get up 2-3 times at night to pee!!!