Sleep and Pregnancy: How to get a good night sleep during pregnancy

For today's blog post, we spoke to sleep expert Olivia Arezzolo for some tips for mums-to-be on how to sleep better during pregnancy

Pregnancy can be hard enough, and right now there are lots of soon to be parents

counting down the days before they meet their little one. Just when they think that

they have experienced it all and are on the home stretch, mums-to-be (and their bed

partners) are often surprised to find themselves snoring during pregnancy. A fairly

common problem, especially in the third trimester.

According to Mute Snoring and the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association, 23

percent of women snore during pregnancy, with the two main culprits being

hormones and weight gain. Changes in hormone levels dilate blood vessels and

cause mucous membranes to swell in the nose. This causes congestion and a

narrowing of the nasal passages forcing pregnant mums to breathe through your

mouth as they sleep, and, more often than not, snore.

Thankfully, for many it’s only a temporary (and noisy) habit and there are ways to

reduce the noise. Australia’s leading sleep expert Olivia Arezzolo understands the

nuances of sleep and the effects that pregnancy can have.

Here are Olivia’s top five tips to reduce snoring to ensure mums-to-be get the quality

sleep that they need, while they can!

1. Keep moving, albeit gently

Rather than giving up your fitness regime, tweak it so it's pregnancy friendly.

This will help with reducing excessive weight gain which may otherwise

heighten snoring. There are plenty of options available from pilates and yoga

to aqua aerobics, find what works best for you.

2. Reduce allergens in your bedroom

While what you consciously ingest is important to consider, equally, what we

unconsciously ingest from our environment is too. Dust, pollution and

allergens can aggravate airways and heighten snoring, so being mindful to

minimise such toxins is key. A himalayan salt lamp could be a simple solution

plus they also look great in your room!

3. Open up your airways

If I didn’t experience this first hand, I wouldn’t believe it works so well - but it

does, the Mute Snoring nasal dilator. Statistically speaking, 75% of snorers

snore less when they use the gentle nose dilator. And, from personal

experience, this changes snoring from a roaring horn to a faint whistle.

4. Eat anti-inflammatory foods

While pregnancy is the time you need to eat and nourish yourself and bub, if

you’re clever, you can do this and reduce the risk of snoring at the same time.

Specifically, anti-inflammatory foods such as berries, citrus fruits, avocado, fatty

fish like salmon and tuna and olive oil are advised.

5. Avoid pro-inflammatory foods

Pro-inflammatory foods may exacerbate snoring, and as such, should be

avoided. Aim to reduce your intake of refined sugar, and products which

contain it - cakes, lollies, cookies; vegetable oils such as canola and sunflower

oil; and of course, alcohol.