Sleeping Is Becoming My Nightmare - Restlessness During Pregnancy

by Renata Lai
(Czech Republic)

Hi! I am now pregnant and the baby is due in 2 months' time. For the past month I had big troubles falling asleep in the night. It started with my legs uncontrollably twitching and being restless. O.k., I have read about RLS/restless leg syndrome and I know it should go away after I deliver, but over this month I have built up this fear of going to bed and I just cannot put my mind at ease. I am constantly thinking about my legs and inability to sleep and I can't relax my muscles!!!! Or relax at all.

It is becoming a big problem as sometimes I don't sleep properly for 3 or 4 days... and I am carrying a little baby! I am also worried that the child will become restless too after he is born...
I am becoming hopeless and desperate. The truth is, I realized that I have a problem with easing my mind, just don't know how to do it. And actually, I never knew. I obviously cannot take any medication as it is not good for the baby, so I am left with nothing.

Sometimes, in the evening, I even cry because I know I am going to go to bed!!! It might sound strange for some of you, but it is true. And I really want to do something about it!!! I want to beat it! I just don't know how.

So if you have any suggestions, please share them with me, I would be grateful.

Renata

Kevin's Response

Hey Reneta, I'm sorry to hear about your restless legs and anxious mind during your pregnancy. I think I've read that RLS affects around 17 percent of pregnant women, and I can only imagine how frustrating that must be.

Without pretending to be able to add any kind of panacea onto what you've probably already read about naturally curing RLS (tonics, herbs, warm drinks, etc.), I think the biggest thing you'll want to do--and you say it yourself--is work on easing your mind. The best news about this is that it is definitely something you can train yourself at--you can work on it, improve your ability, empower yourself with techniques and knowledge, and hopefully see marked results.

I'm a big fan myself of calming music and even meditation--just trying to clear my head and feel what's going on in the world around me. Everyone has a different style when it comes to what music relaxes them. One cool site that recognizes this real well is SoundSleeping.com. Their homepage actually lets you customize relaxing sounds based on different clips they have. They also have pre-arranged tracks that you can purchase.

Another beautiful source of music to relax by comes from Easy Sleep Music. They have a pretty huge variety of nice sounds, and you can preview their CDs here on iTunes.

Beyond everything, just remember that you're in charge of the thoughts that come into your mind. You can control the anxiety. It may be pretty difficult at first, but with training will come an easier time of it.

One technique that may be beneficial is to think of one object in the world that makes you particularly happy and tranquil. It may be something from your past (a baby blanket, for instance) or even something that you haven't even seen in person (a piece of art, for instance). Once you have your object, make that the one thing your bring your mind to whenever you start to feel any anxiety at night or when you're trying to sleep. Focus on your object, study it, turn it over in your mind, and simply try to forget everything else. This along with the music may be a start to helping you calm your mind. Feel free to let me know what you think, or if this is all trite stuff that you've heard or tried before.

Best of luck to you and a safe delivery in a couple months. Remember that you're never alone in your struggle.

Warmly,
Kevin