Is It Safe To Take Sleeping Pills During Pregnancy?
Picture This – its 2 a.m. You are still trying to shut your eyes, but it’s not possible without a sleeping pill. Is that a regular scenario with you as an expectant mommy?
While it is one of the loveliest phases of your life, pregnancy does bring a lot of other issues too apart from joys of motherhood.
This is a difficult situation during your pregnancy. You naturally think about the little one in your womb, before opting for a sleeping pill. Sometimes, you are tempted to have sleeping pill during pregnancy due to lack of sleep. But is it always safe?
Factors That Affect Your Sleep During Pregnancy:
Many factors disturb your sleep during the final stages of pregnancy than the initial stages. While this is a common issue, sometimes, the sleeplessness can get quite tough to handle.
There are both physical and mental issues that affect your sleep during pregnancy. Some of the most common factors that can lead to sleeplessness during your pregnancy are as follows:
- Leg cramps
- Difficulty in breathing
- Need to pass urine frequently
- Fetal movements
- Difficulties in changing the sleeping position
- Lower back pain
- Dreaming more than usual
- Tensed about the impending delivery
- Worrying whether it is normal or not
- Severe nausea and vomiting during the first four months
Get A Good Sleep Without Sleeping Pills During Pregnancy:
It is always better to avoid sleeping pills in pregnancy and find some natural ways that will help you fall asleep. The following tips can help you get your sleeping pattern closer to normal, if not back to normal:
- Lack of calcium causes cramps in your legs. So take a lot of calcium pills, in consultation with your doctor, and calcium rich food.
- Give a gentle massage to your legs.
- You find difficulty in breathing because you are anemic. Eat lots of iron rich food.
- Do not take drinks rich in caffeine or fizzy drinks in the late evening. These contain kidney stimulants that produce more urine and mental stimulants that make your brain active.
- Try using extra pillows for your lower back pain. Put one pillow under your abdomen, one in between your legs and one at your back. Rest your head on the additional pillow.
- If you find difficulty in rolling on the bed because of the enlarged baby in your womb, try a turning sheet.
- Story books or puzzles may make you feel sleepy.
- Engage in light exercise.
- Speak about your dreams with your close ones, so that your mind will be relaxed.
- Take a bath with warm water.
- Ask your doctor to prescribe a pill to overcome nausea.
[ Read: Pregnancy Pillow ]
About The Doctor Prescribed Drugs:
Difficulty in sleeping during pregnancy compels you to take sleeping pills. Here are a few things you should remember, even if your doctor has prescribed you some sleep drugs:
- Doctor prescribed medicines like Benadryl, Tylenol PM and Unisom contain diphenhydramine, a sedative drug.
- You can take 25 mg of tablet to fall asleep, but this should be strictly on your doctor’s advice.
- You should not consume occasionally.
- Do not depend too much on barbiturates as it can put your baby under risk of jaundice.
- Regular consumption of sleeping pills may decrease your baby’s IQ.
- Benzodiazepines may sedate fetus though there is no proper proof.
- Clinical studies of lunesta, rozerem and ambein on animals have led to infertility.
- Doctors also prescribe a second category medicine called Benadryl, but it has not been proven safe yet.
[ Read: Sleeping Problems During Pregnancy ]
Generally, it is good to avoid taking sleeping pills during pregnancy as far as possible. You can only consume if there is no other option and your doctor has prescribed the same.
Keep up your will power and think positively. Stay relaxed as much as possible. This will help avoid health problems and you will get a good sleep during your pregnancy.
Don’t forget to share your experiences with us.
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