Pregnancy is a beautiful experience but it comes with some painful symptoms which some women find difficult to cope with. Extreme fatigue is one of the symptoms of pregnancy especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. It is normal for a pregnant woman to sleep for 10 to 12 hours during the night and still feel extremely tired during the day.
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The cause of the extreme pregnancy tiredness has not been determined or discovered by medical experts. Some experts believe that hormonal changes occurring in the body of pregnant women are the cause of tiredness. A typical example of such hormonal changes increases in the level of progesterone.
Some experts blame it on the frequent interruption of sleep experienced by women during pregnancy. Frequent urination experienced by most pregnant women interrupts their sleep. There are other symptoms of pregnancy that can cause discomfort during sleep. Some of these symptoms include-
Heartburn
Movement and kicking of the baby
Fears associated with childbirth
The tiredness may not continue in the second trimester of pregnancy. However, how long the symptom will last differs from women to women. Some women may experience it for a long time while others may only experience it for a few weeks.
Coping with pregnancy tiredness
Though, if you are pregnant, you cannot avoid getting tired, but you can always cope with it. There are certain things that you should do in order to cope with extreme fatigue associated with pregnancy.
Adapt to the condition
As it has been said, you cannot avoid getting tired. So, the best thing to do is to heed the signals of your body by getting enough rest. Try to take some minutes of nap during the day. This may be difficult for some women especially women who are working.
If you are lucky to have a private office, you can lock the door and take 15 minutes nap before continuing with your work. Make sure that you go to bed early so that you will have enough time to sleep before the day breaks.
Eat well and rightly
You should be mindful of what you eat like a pregnant woman. Going on healthy dieting will help you to deal with tiredness and other symptoms of pregnancy. Eating well does not mean consuming enough candy bars, potato chips, and other processed foods.
You should avoid junk foods and eat more fruits, skim milk, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, and other good protein foods.
Drink enough water
You should keep your body hydrated by drinking enough water. If you are having sleep interruption as a result of frequent urination, you have to reduce your fluid intake some hours before you go to bed. You should also avoid or cut down your consumption of alcohol and caffeine. Also, keep away from late snacking.
Perform some exercises
Engaging in a moderate aerobic exercise like walking will make you feel better. Besides, you can also perform certain yoga poses, swimming and stay active. For more on this, visit- Benefits of Exercises During Pregnancy
More advice to avoid Tiredness in Pregnancy
Take a warm bath before going to bed.
Relax a little bit. Reading books or novels or watching your favorite TV program before going to bed relaxes the mind and body.
Listen to soothing music as well.
