What to do if you feel uncomfortable sleeping on your left side during late pregnancy

During pregnancy, many female friends will encounter many problems, and sleeping during pregnancy is the most headache for expectant mothers. We all know that when we sleep, we usually choose to sleep in a posture that makes us feel comfortable. If we are not pregnant, we can sleep however we want. However, for pregnant women, especially in the middle and late stages of pregnancy, the abdomen will become larger, and sleeping at this time requires special attention. So which sleeping postures are more suitable?

What to do if you feel uncomfortable sleeping on your left side during late pregnancy

Many expectant mothers experience severe sleep deterioration in the late stages of pregnancy, and find it difficult to sleep no matter how they do it. Poor sleep quality has a greater impact on working mothers-to-be. Poor spirits will not only affect work, but also the development of the fetus.

Studies have shown that the best sleeping position for pregnant women during pregnancy, especially in the late stages of pregnancy, is to sleep on their left side. In the later stages of pregnancy, pregnant women should sleep on their left side, which is beneficial to changing the right rotation of the uterus, relieving the support of uterine blood vessels, ensuring the blood volume of the embryo, and promoting the development of the baby. Sleeping on the left side of the pregnant woman is beneficial to change the right rotation of the uterus to a vertical position, thereby achieving normal fetal position conversion and normal delivery of the pregnant woman. The pregnant mother's left side sleeping posture is also beneficial for the fetus to better absorb CO2, nutrients, and excrete carbon dioxide and waste. At the same time, it can prevent the uterus from compressing the inferior vena cava, reduce edema in the pregnant woman's body, promote blood circulation, and reduce the risk of premature birth.

It is not suitable to sleep supinely for a long time in the late pregnancy. When sleeping supinely, the uterus is compressed on the inferior vena cava, affecting blood circulation and causing edema or varicose veins in the lower limbs and private parts. It also causes less blood to flow back to the heart from the lower limbs, causing ischemia and oxygen deficiency in the brain. Expectant mothers may also experience symptoms such as dizziness, panic, nausea, vomiting, breathlessness, pale complexion, weakness in limbs, and sweating. If the above symptoms occur, you should immediately adopt the left side sleeping position, your blood pressure will gradually recover and the symptoms will subside.

In addition, it is not suitable to lie on the right side for a long time in the late pregnancy, because lying on the right side will put excessive tension on the cruciate ligament and mesentery that maintain the normal position of the uterus. The blood vessels in the mesentery are stretched, affecting the blood supply to the fetus, causing chronic hypoxia of the fetus. In severe cases, it can cause suffocation and death of the fetus.

Therefore, sleeping on the left side is the ideal sleeping position for expectant mothers, but it does not guarantee that expectant mothers can maintain this sleeping position all night long. They can alternate between lying up and down and lying on the side appropriately.

The main reason why pregnant women are advised to sleep on their left side is because we are worried that you may feel uncomfortable. If a pregnant woman feels uncomfortable sleeping on her left side, then she can switch to sleeping on her right side. What should pregnant women do if they are uncomfortable sleeping on their left and right sides, but are more comfortable lying on their backs? Sleeping in whatever position is most comfortable for you. Sleeping on the left side is a general recommendation for ordinary people, and it is not mandatory. Since you are not an ordinary person, you don’t have to follow the general practice!