There are usually many reasons why falling pregnant is becoming more difficult today than it was for our mothers, many that we know about including diet and lifestyle, but there is increasing evidence that the amount of sleep that we get can also affect our fertility.
So can having a bad night’s sleep really stop our chances of having a baby?
Yes according to the National Sleep Foundation which says lack of sleep affects our health, our ability to function normally, and even our fertility.
What does lack of sleep do?
The reason is thought to be because while our body is asleep it’s busy repairing and rejuvenating our cells, organs and systems. If it you don’t get enough sleep, then your body won’t work as optimally as it should.
There are two major organs that are responsible for our fertility: our reproductive system – needed for creating life and sustaining it once we do get pregnant, and our brain – which releases all the necessary hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone at the right times of our cycles to ensure a healthy pregnancy.
Disrupt your sleep for an extended period of time and you’ll disrupt the balance our body needs to conceive.
It probably doesn’t surprise you that this might be the case, since lack of sleep already makes you perform poorly the next day and you have trouble concentrating and can even lead to stress and depression.
What Can I Do?
Obviously the first thing to do is to get yourself back into having a regular sleep pattern. Going to bed at a reasonable hour and ensuring that you get a good 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night is your first step.
But what If I Can’t Fall Asleep?
Insomnia affects a large percentage of women and the stress of trying to conceive often makes it worse as you are up all night worrying about if this will be the month or not. It’s not a good idea to take anything to help you sleep during this time as it may affect your fertility or, if you do happen to conceive, your baby.
So natural methods of getting to sleep are recommended.
Some tips to get to sleep:
- Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning (yes even on weekends). This will help reset your bodies internal body clock.
- Drink warm milk or eat a banana before bed. Both contain sleep inducing properties to help relax you.
- Exercise during the day will do a lot to help you drift off to sleep, and getting regular exercise is one of the first things doctors recommend for sufferers of insomnia.
- Some light stretching before you hop into bed has been shown to help loosen muscles for sleep.
- Avoid the television and computer at least an hour before bedtime as they stimulate the brain and even if you do fall asleep by watching TV you won’t have a restful sleep.
- Trying lowering the lights and putting on some classical music while you wind down for bedtime.
- Reading fiction in bed can help you get drowsy – so pick up the latest fiction bestseller next time you are out (non-fiction apparently doesn’t have the same effect as fiction – who would have thought).
What else can I do to increase the odds of getting pregnant?
Obviously sleep is only one part of the complicated puzzle that is trying to have a baby. There are many ways that you can change your lifestyle and diet to increase your odds of getting pregnant.
Throughout this blog I’ve got tons of tips including the best supplements to take, which foods can affect your fertility and of course the top positions to conceive.
Please feel free to have a look around and hopefully you’ll be on your way to having the baby of your dreams very soon.