Pregnancy can cause sleep disorders: CBT is a solution for this

According to statistics, more than 70% of women suffer from various sleep disorders, such as breathing-related sleep disorders, restless legs syndrome and insomnia during pregnancy. Yes, it is unbearably difficult to go through all this when you expect a baby and you have enough troubles, but fortunately, all these sleep problems can be solved.

As soon as you notice that something is wrong during pregnancy, and you have strange symptoms that deprive you of sleep, you need to urgently visit your doctor to find out the cause and solve it as soon as possible. Here are some common sleep disorders you may face with:

#1. Breathing-related sleep disorders: during the day you feel sleepy (this is normal pregnant women), but your partner may also notice that you have started snoring noisily, or that you are pausing or gasping during your sleep, these are all signs of this sleep disorder. Your snoring will keep you awake while you sleep. In addition, if you or your partner have noticed a breath hold during sleep, this is not very good for you, as well as for your baby who does not receive enough oxygen.

Recent studies have found that women who struggle with breathing related sleep disorders are more likely to suffer from preeclampsia (high blood pressure) and gestational diabetes.

#2. Restless legs syndrome (RLS): a strong urge to move the legs while at rest, accompanied by unpleasant feelings. Women describe this condition in their legs as itchy, creepy, crawly, jittery or burning. The need to move legs gets worse at night and is only relieved by movement.

According to statistics, about 30% of pregnant women suffer from symptoms of RLS, especially in the third trimester. RLS causes trouble sleeping and is also associated with depression.

#3. Insomnia: most people are familiar with this sleep disorder, but when it comes to pregnant women, it worsens the situation. Difficulty getting to sleep, staying asleep, waking too early and non-restful sleep are common symptoms of insomnia.

Because of insomnia, pregnant women may experience fatigue, feeling low and irritable, memory and concentration problems, and strained relationships. You may also experience insomnia in the third trimester, as your head is full of thoughts about difficult and painful childbirth, and that you will not cope with this task, and so on. In this case, it is important to seek medical help if you are struggling with insomnia.

Fortunately, you can get rid of all sleep disorders with the help of CBT techniques. With this technique, you can cope with your daily habits and environmental factors that interfere with healthy sleep. Moreover, CBT technique includes cognitive methods to tackle the racing mind, relaxation practices and a daily sleep diary. All this will help you solve this sleep problem, regardless of whether you are pregnant or not.