There's no denying that once you're pregnant, you will require more hours of sleep than you regularly log in. And that's because your body is exhausted after having to not only carry a growing baby inside you, but to also provide nutrients through your body to them in order to help them flourish. So then how many hours should a pregnant woman sleep?

How Sleep Would Be Different for Pregnancy

Your sleep cycle heavily depends on which stage of your pregnancy you are in. For example during your first trimester, you will feel the urge to sleep more but because your body isn't used to extra sleep, you might find it difficult to fall asleep, or to remain asleep for long periods of hours. Your baby's placental growth is encouraged by the high levels of progesterone that your body produces, which also has a side effect of your body wanting more rest.

Things get easier during your second trimester because now your body has slowly begun adapting to its new environment. But when you progress to your third trimester, sleep again becomes an issue because of your protruding abdomen. The need to urinate also increases, which is what makes sleeping peacefully all the more difficult for you.

How Many Hours Should You Sleep?

So now that you know what you should have to look forward to sleep wise during your pregnancy, we now come down to the most important question - how many hours' sleep?

Anything less than 6 hours is harmful for your body, and believe it or not but getting excessive sleep (10 hours or more) doesn't do you any good. The recommended number of hours you should sleep during your pregnancy is 8-9.

Tips for Better Sleep During Pregnancy

Now that you know about how many hours should a pregnant woman sleep, it's time to learn tips and tricks that will help you sleep better during your pregnancy:

1. Keep Your Room Temperature in Control

A pregnant woman's body temperature is higher than the body temperature of an average human being. So feeling distressed because you are hot all the time, is pretty normal. Fiddle with your thermostats and narrow in on a temperature you find easier to sleep in – normally a few degrees lesser than you normally are used to. The average room temperature that most women find ideal has been clocked at 60F.

2. No Working on Your Bed

Your bed is supposed to be for one thing – sleep. So make sure you're only sleeping, and occasionally having sex, in it. If you are working on your laptop and responding to emails while sitting on your bed, your body adjusts accordingly, which makes it harder for your brain to see your bed as a place for only rest.

3. Don't Encourage Restlessness

If you can't sleep, then don't toss and turn in your bed. Get up and do something that will tire you out. For example, watching TV or reading a book will tire your eyes quickly enough, wanting you to go to sleep ASAP. You can also try accomplishing next day's chores if you have nothing better to do. Remember, there is no point in studying on how many hours a pregnant woman should sleep if you are not doing your best to get as many hours of sleep as you can!

4. Make Sure Your Bed Is Comfortable

We often get so used to our beds that we don't even realize when it's time to shake things up. Sometimes, our mattresses get old, and sometimes our pillows need to be changed. Back aches and sleep deprivation are just two of the many issues faced because we aren't vigilant enough. Buy new pillows, get a new mattress and hell, get a new bed sheet while you're at it! Purchase a mattress pad if you need extra comfort!

5. Keep Your Power Naps Short

The longer they are, the lesser you will be able to sleep at night. This is why ideally speaking, half an hour's worth of power naps are great for you. This time limit will also disallow your body from feeling groggy, sleepy or just plain lazy when you wake up from your nap. And yes you're allowed to take multiple power naps during the course of a day. If you are worried about how many hours should a pregnant woman sleep because of your erratic sleep schedule, then power naps are your answer.

6. No Eating Snacks Before Bed Time

Yes, we get it – the baby's hungry. But she's hungry 24x7 and if you are going to disrupt your body's cycle in order to feed her, then you will face some serious problems. Say no food foods as well as drinks at least 2 hours before you go to sleep. Water's fine, of course, and so are fresh drinks like lemonade or coconut water. Anything else will cause you heartburn.

7. Prop Your Body

In late pregnancy, you may experience shortness of breath. Sometimes, you might experience heartburn, ad in such cases, propping your body with the help of a pillow usually gets rid of your problem. Make sure your upper body and head are a few inches higher than the rest of your body. A full body pillow is recommended in such a situation.

8. Try the SOS Sleep Position

SOS means Sleep on Side. Either side is great when you're sleeping on your sides, but experts have suggested that sleeping on your left side increases the amount of nutrients and blood circulated to your baby's placenta, which in turn will help reach your baby. To get into an even more comfortable position, place a pillow underneath your abdomen and between your legs as well.

Don'ts When It Comes To Sleeping At Night

• Don't sleep on your back. Not only will this give you a backache, but will also cause problems with breathing, in your digestive system, your BP and even reduce circulation of nutrients to your body.
• Don't sleep no your stomach. Its increasing size will make it impossible for you to be able to sleep peacefully.