How to deal with sleepiness in pregnancy?

The main way to combat sleepiness during pregnancy is to follow a daily routine. You need to train yourself to get up at the same time and go to bed at the same time. There are several rules for healthy sleep.

1. Rule number one - you must go to bed before 11:00 PM, or better yet, before 10:00 PM, so that you can already sleep at 11:00 PM. This time corresponds to biological rhythms, when the main systems rest and the body recovers. It is at this time that you can get the most sleep, and this will be the most beneficial sleep for the body, the deepest.
2. The second rule. Ideally, wake up at dawn. It is usually recommended to get up at 5:00 (in the morning), take water treatments, take care of yourself, enjoy your favorite activity or the sunrise. If you can’t get up that early, you can get up later. But the main thing is not later than 8:00, maximum 9:00. If you wake up later, you will feel tired and exhausted all day, want to sleep. But in any case, it is worth trying to get up at 5:00 in the morning, at least 5 days in a row. At first it will be difficult, but then the body will get used to it, and you will certainly like it. Everyone who gets up at this time notes that the main thing is to overcome yourself and continue to get up at the same time every day, even if it is difficult at first. The fact is that this is the optimal time to get up. The body wakes up at this time, functions as actively as possible. Nature also helps everything around to wake up. This time corresponds to the natural biological rhythms of the human body.
3. Rule three. You need to get up at the first alarm, without changing it or giving in to laziness and the desire to sleep. If you decided to get up at 5:00 in the evening, then set the alarm for this time, and get up at the first alarm, no matter how much you want to sleep some more. It is better to think carefully in the evening. Are you really ready to get up at such a time. If you understand that you will not be able to wake up, it is better to set the alarm for a later time. Otherwise, interrupted sleep can play a cruel joke on you: it creates additional stress on the heart, and regular interrupted sleep can lead to serious consequences. There are cases when a violation of the regime even ended in a heart attack or stroke.
4. Rule number four. No matter how much you want to sleep during the day, do not give in to sleepiness and do not go to bed. Wait until 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., and only then go to bed. At first it will be hard to cope, but if you stick to this regimen, you will soon return to normal.
5. Rule number five. Follow a daily routine. Set yourself an approximate time when you will eat, when you will walk, rest, work, and strictly follow this schedule every day. Set yourself a reminder, or write the schedule on a piece of paper, put it in a frame and follow it every day.

Medicines

There are even medications that will help you adapt more easily and cope with drowsiness. First of all, these are drugs that regulate biological (circadian) rhythms, as well as normalize hormonal levels, the state of the nervous system, and help regulate the overall endurance of the body, the degree of its adaptation to changes occurring in the body.

These drugs should be used only after prior consultation with a doctor, since it is necessary to take into account various aspects, individual characteristics of the body, features of the course of pregnancy, lifestyle. Consultation with a doctor is the main precaution that allows you to avoid many complications and side effects. If medications are taken incorrectly, a number of complications are possible, including premature birth, miscarriage, and various pregnancy pathologies.

Glycine is recommended to be taken one tablet (50 mg) 4-5 times a day. The drug is relatively harmless. Normalizes biological rhythms, relieves drowsiness, and also calms and normalizes the emotional background. Activates the brain. It is an essential amino acid that is part of the human body. A deficiency of this amino acid can lead to sleep-wake cycle disorders, can cause increased drowsiness, and can also be the cause of nervous disorders, memory loss, and attention.

Neurovitan is a drug that regulates the activity of the nervous system and the brain. It is worth noting that this drug normalizes metabolic processes in the brain and spinal cord, in the nervous system. take one tablet twice a day.

Suprastin is prescribed if drowsiness occurs as a result of severe swelling, increased histamine levels in the blood, against the background of increased sensitization. Take one tablet 1-2 times a day. It should be taken into account that the drug is also accompanied by drowsiness as a result of its effect, so you may want to sleep very much about 30-40 minutes after taking the drug. Therefore, you can lie down to sleep for a short time if you cannot overcome drowsiness in other ways.

Also, in case of increased drowsiness, you can prescribe loratadine, which is a prolonged-action antihistamine aimed at relieving increased sensitization and reducing the level of histamine in the body. Take one tablet once a day.

Vitamins

If drowsiness occurs, it is necessary to take vitamins, since in most cases drowsiness is directly or indirectly associated with a violation of vitamin metabolism and their deficiency in the body. Drowsiness can be associated primarily with a deficiency of vitamins A, E, PP. Therefore, pregnant women are recommended to take vitamins in the following daily concentrations:

• Vitamin PP – 60 mg
• Vitamin A – 240 mg
• Vitamin E – 45 mg
• Vitamin C – 1000 mg.

You can also take special vitamin complexes intended for pregnant women, such as pregnavit, vitrum, and others. Pregnant women need not only vitamins, but also minerals, including sulfur, iron, copper, and others. Pregnant women often lack rutin, which causes increased bleeding of the gums, nosebleeds, and bleeding of the mucous membranes. Therefore, you need to take ascorutin, which is a mixture of ascorbic acid, rutin, and glucose.

Physiotherapy treatment

Physiotherapy is generally not used during pregnancy. However, there are some products that are approved for use even during pregnancy. The main methods of physiotherapy treatment are ultrasound, microcurrents, and waves of various lengths. Electrophoresis is used, with the help of which medications are introduced directly into the tissue. Sometimes this is the only safe method of treatment during pregnancy. It also allows the introduction of some vitamins and mineral complexes. The depth of their penetration is regulated by microcurrent. But such procedures as massage chairs, beds, hydromassage, Charcot's shower, cryotherapy, thermal procedures, peelings, laser therapy are strictly contraindicated.

Folk remedies

• Recipe #1. Pouring, hardening

It is recommended to wash your neck, back of the head, arms (up to the shoulder girdle) with cold water every day after you wake up. It is also recommended to wash your face with cold water. Then wipe your face with ice cubes. This will quickly give you energy and a feeling of freshness. You can also use herbal infusions instead of water.

• Recipe #2. Morning exercises

After you have washed yourself, you need to start performing the mandatory set of morning exercises for pregnant women. Exercise sets taken from the qigong system, Chinese health practices, hatha yoga, and the Slavic gymnastics Zhiva have proven themselves well. It is worth noting that these sets are maximally adapted to the physiological characteristics and specific needs of a pregnant woman, allow you to prevent and avoid possible disorders and deviations, and normalize the general emotional and biochemical background. This significantly improves well-being, mood, harmonizes, and stabilizes the condition. Complexes for pregnant women in various variations are widely presented on the Internet. They are recorded in the form of various video workouts, video complexes.

It is recommended to include several exercises and complexes for warming up, stretching, awakening the body in the morning workout. This can be the "Qigong" complex, the "Sun Salutation" complex from hatha yoga, or "Surya Namaskar", the "Element" complex, women's gymnastics "Zhiva", other active complexes. Then we move on to the main part - exercises for the main muscle groups, such as squats, planks, push-ups. After this part, we move on to the mandatory implementation of breathing practices, since without proper breathing, pregnancy cannot proceed as smoothly as we would like. In this regard, the "pranayama" breathing exercise complex from hatha yoga, represented by various complexes of both dynamic and static exercises, is well suited.

• Recipe #3. Mandatory relaxation.

It is recommended to finish the morning workout with a meditative complex aimed at relaxing the body. These can be various types of meditation, relaxation practices. The exercise "Bon" has proven itself well, in which a person sits in the lotus position, or any other position accessible to him, concentrating on his breathing, his feelings. At the same time, the eyes are closed, you also need to try to disconnect from all thoughts, and focus exclusively on your own feelings, breathing, relaxation of all muscles.

It is also worth trying such an exercise as Shavasana, in which a person lies in a pose on his back, arms and legs are relaxed, the whole body should also be as relaxed as possible. It is necessary to eliminate all thoughts, and concentrate all attention exclusively on your own feelings, breathing.

[ 1 ], [ 2 ], [ 3 ]

Herbal treatment

Most medications are not prescribed during pregnancy. However, there are herbs that are allowed to be taken in small quantities during pregnancy as well.

For example, mint can be taken as a decoction for severe drowsiness. It normalizes the neuropsychic state, normalizes circadian rhythms. It also helps eliminate nausea, a feeling of heaviness, pain in the gastrointestinal tract. Take at the rate of a tablespoon of mint per glass of boiling water.

If you have increased drowsiness and a headache, you can use a decoction of echinacea. Additionally, it increases immunity, has antiviral properties, and provides reliable prevention of infectious and inflammatory diseases.

Chamomile decoction not only gives strength, relieves drowsiness, but also eliminates various inflammatory diseases. To prepare the decoction, you need a tablespoon per glass of boiling water.

Stevia and nettle relieve drowsiness, fill the body with vitamins, minerals, normalize metabolic processes, immunity, and are also a reliable means of preventing colds and viral diseases.

Homeopathy

During pregnancy, it is not recommended to use herbs and homeopathy, as they can cause poisoning and can disrupt the already fragile state of the body. Often they create an additional, unnecessary burden on the body and disrupt adaptation processes. But to avoid such side effects, you need to take precautions - take any medications only after prior consultation with a doctor.

• Recipe No. 1. Rosehip decoction.

Saturates the body with vitamins, especially vitamin C, normalizes homeostasis, the immune system, vitamin and mineral metabolism. 2 tablespoons of rose hips are poured with a glass of boiling water, infused for at least an hour. Drink throughout the day.

• Recipe No. 2. Calendula decoction.

Relieves inflammation, fatigue, drowsiness. Recommended one glass twice a day. About one tablespoon of calendula is required for one glass of boiling water.

• Recipe #3. Acacia decoction – made at the rate of a teaspoon of flowers per glass of boiling water. Drink a glass per day.
• Recipe #4. Viburnum tea with honey. Pour a glass of boiling water over a bunch of berries. Allow to brew (until it reaches a comfortable, warm temperature). Drink like tea, adding honey to taste.