Early Signs of Pregnancy Insomnia

"I'm so excited I can't sleep!" That may have been your mantra for the first few weeks of your pregnancy, but now it's getting old. You're tired. You sit at work and your eyes begin to close, before you know it, your head drops down to your chest and you jerk yourself awake. But at night you lie in bed staring at the ceiling and praying for sleep to come. Insomnia isn't fun at any point in time, but when you're having early pregnancy insomnia you will be experiencing long nights and even longer days.

Early Signs of Pregnancy Insomnia

As it turns out, one of the early signs of pregnancy is insomnia, caused by the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy. Dr. Jill Powell, assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health at St. Louis University School of Medicine, agrees with the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) in their assessment that sleep-related problems and disturbed sleep are consistent with pregnancy. In early pregnancy insomnia is prevalent and as the pregnancy progresses, it lessens, until the latter part of the pregnancy when it recurs.

Dr. Powell says this about pregnancy insomnia in the first trimester: "Early in pregnancy women tend to feel very fatigued because of what I call the progesterone phenomenon. Progesterone is a natural sedative, and a woman may be so tired she has this sensation of not being able to keep her eyes open. She may react by napping during the day or falling asleep on the couch after work. This then gets her out of her normal sleep patterns."

Additionally, pregnancy symptoms of insomnia in early pregnancy may be contributed to by anxiety. A woman may be concerned about the chances of miscarriage, her health and her baby's health. Financial worries can add another burden that keeps women up at night. In these cases of emotional insomnia, finding someone to talk to - be it a friend, clergyman, or doctor - goes a long way to easing the fears and concerns.

Running to the Bathroom

One more cause of early pregnancy insomnia is having to get up a dozen times through the night to urinate. The reason for this is that in the early stages of pregnancy the uterus is still small and hasn't popped out of the pelvic cavity. Consequently, it pushes against the bladder causing pressure and the need to urinate frequently. By the time the second trimester rolls around, the uterus has grown enough to push out of the pelvis and the pressure is off - until the third trimester when the sheer size of it causes pressure again. Pregnancy insomnia usually returns in the last few weeks of pregnancy, only this time it is due to the inability to find a comfortable place to lie. Rolling over is an MGM production and heartburn can keep a woman awake for hours during the night. Even your orthopedic mattress isn't doing the job you thought it would do.